The Curse of the Shadow Triad?
by Pokemon Connoisseur Lucario
Summary: He thought he had left it all behind. He thought it was over. But a seemingly random event had brought it all back. And the past can bite back with a vengeance... TF fic. May hint at Wishfulshipping at times, but none intended. All three Striaton bros will appear!
1. Prologue

****A/N: Hello readers! Welcome to my story. This is the first story I've ever posted, but it's not the first one I've written, so hopefully I've gotten in enough practice. Anyway, this is the prologue to what will become a pretty long story (hopefully). I hope you enjoy it! On with the story!

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**Prologue (Cilan's POV)**

"Team Plasma! You won't get away with this!" Ash yelled to a grunt who had named himself the leader of the mission. Where Ash gets all this confidence will forever remain a mystery to me. The grunt smiled.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken. A few kids won't stop all of us from liberating these Pokémon from their captors!" He said while gesturing to his small team of grunts and the Pokéballs they were attempting to steal.

"They're not captors, they're trainers! These Pokémon are their friends!" Iris yelled back at him, getting angrier by the minute.

"That's right! And we're going to teach you that lesson by using our own Pokémon, our own friends!" Ash said as he reached for his Pokéballs. Iris did the same.

"Go, Snivy, Oshawott, Tepig!"

"Emolga, Excadrill, come out!"

The grunts also sent out various Pokémon, such as Watchog and Sandile. As the battle between my friends and Team Plasma raged, I was trying my best to stay out of sight. _All I have to do is stay hidden. They'll barely know I'm here. _I thought to myself.

"HEY! Cilan, what are you doing? We need help over here!" Ash yelled in my direction. So much for not being noticed.

"Cilan, get out here!" It was Iris's voice this time. _Well, looks like I have no choice now…_ I ran over to where Ash and Iris were.

"Pansage, I need your help!" I said as I brought out my partner Pokémon. "Bullet Seed!" Pansage started forcefully shooting seeds at any enemy Pokémon that came within its range. Suddenly, I heard a small gasp. I looked over to see that one of the Plasma grunts was staring right at me, wide eyed. _Crud…_

He stood there in shock for a few seconds, and I did the same. We were finally brought out of our stupor when the lead grunt started yelling.

"We must retreat! These weak Pokémon were unable to serve us well enough! Retreat!" Ash and Iris had finished off the last of their Pokémon.

The grunt staring me down turned and ran to the Plasma vehicles with his teammates. They drove off, leaving the Pokéballs behind. Ash and Iris started cheering.

"Yes! We saved the Pokémon!" Ash said happily. He then looked over to me. "Cilan? Are you ok? You don't look too happy."

"Oh, yes, I'm fine! I was just…wondering why anyone would want to do something so terrible." I lied through my teeth. Ash just shrugged it off. It wasn't long before Nurse Joy and Audino arrived to take the Pokéballs back to the Pokémon Center. We said our goodbyes and continued on our way to the next town. Everything seemed to be fine, but the seed of worry had been planted in my mind…

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A/N: Well, there you have it! The beginning of my first posted story. Don't worry, the real chapters will be longer than this. Also, if you see any spelling or sentence errors at all, please tell me. That kind of stuff really bothers me. XD So, I hope you enjoyed it. There will be more coming soon (don't ask me how soon...because I don't know. It will be here though!). Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 1

****Hello once again, readers! Here's the official first chapter of this story. I'm so glad I get to finally put it up! Oh, and since I forgot this in the prologue, I'll put it here to cover both chapters:

I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters in this story!

All right, now that that's out of the way, on with the story!

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**Chapter 1 (Normal POV)**

It was another sunny day in the Unova region. Ash, Cilan, and Iris were all on their way to Driftveil City to give Ash the chance to battle for his 5th gym badge. Of course, Ash was filled to the brim with energy and was sprinting down the path as fast as possible. Even Iris, who was the fastest runner out of all three of them, was having trouble keeping up with the determined Pokemon trainer and his Pikachu. Needless to say, poor Cilan didn't have a ghost of a chance of keeping up with either of them.

"Hey! Some of us aren't ridiculously hyper or inhumanly fast you know!" Cilan yelled from behind his traveling companions. He wished they would wait for him sometimes, but he really did enjoy their company. Ash was fifteen, and Iris was fourteen. Cilan, being the oldest of the group at seventeen, felt like it was his job to watch over the other two when they needed it. He also enjoyed this part, however, because he could make friends and protect people at the same time. He had promised himself he would start doing both of these things after he and his brothers... well, we'll get to that part later! For now, let's stay in the present.

Iris heard the faint, desperate cries of her friend behind her. She looked back and realized that Cilan was being left in the dust. "Oh, sorry Cilan! I guess we got a little carried away, RIGHT ASH?" Iris yelled the last part down the path at Ash. He skidded to a stop and turned around to look at Iris.

"What? Why are we stopping? We have to get to Driftveil City!" Ash said loudly and quickly. Wow, someone should stop giving him sugar.

"We need to slow it down a bit. Cilan's having trouble keeping up. Plus, Driftveil City's not going anywhere! You can stand to wait a little longer," Iris said as Cilan caught up.

"Driftveil City is still a long way away from here. If you try to run at that pace all the way there, you'll be too tired to battle!" Cilan informed Ash. "Just take a deep breath and let's walk for awhile."

Ash breathed in deeply, and then exhaled. "Yeah, I guess you're both right. Ok, let's walk!" Ash said as he started down the path again. Cilan and Iris joined him on either side.

* * *

It was now a few hours later, around 5:30 or so. They had been walking at a good pace, and Ash only tried to sprint ahead two times! But of course, a Pokemon adventure would never be complete without the peacefulness being shattered in one way or another.

Suddenly, Cilan stopped midstride. Ash and Iris were confused and looked back to see what was wrong.

"Cilan, you ok?" Iris questioned.

"Yeah, why'd you stop all of a sudden like that?" Ash asked.

"I-I don't know. I just suddenly feel really tired, and-" as soon as Cilan had said these words, he fell to his knees, clutching at his stomach.

"Cilan!" Ash and Iris yelled as they stooped down to see what was happening. "What's wrong?"

Cilan was unable to respond however, because the pain intensified. He screamed for a moment, and then fell to the ground. "NO!" Ash and Iris yelled. "Cilan, can you hear me? Wake up, please!" Iris was saying in a panic, while Ash hurried to get first aid supplies out of his backpack. "Pika ka, pikachu!" Pikachu was yelling at Cilan's face, presumably trying to wake him up, too. Once Ash had gathered the right supplies, he and Iris carried the still unconscious connoisseur to a clearing in the forest. They laid him down on his sleeping bag. Ash tried an antidote, but Cilan didn't appear to have any type of poison in his system, so it wouldn't help. Even an awakening didn't have any effect!

"We don't have anything else that might help him!" Ash said while hopelessly rummaging through his backpack.

"Well, his breathing and his pulse are at normal rates, so his life isn't in any immediate danger. I guess all we can do is keep an eye on him and wait until he wakes up." Iris said. Ash nodded in agreement as they looked at their unconscious friend. _Cilan, please be ok…_

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Hehehe! A cliffhanger! I see why people do it, it is kinda fun :) All right, that pretty much wraps it up for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and I'll have the next one up as soon as possible. Please read and review!


	3. Chapter 2

****Hello again readers! I am so very sorry that I haven't updated this in a long time...I had a lot of editing to do and my internet has been down about 75% of the time since I've updated. I hope this chapter makes up for it at least a little bit. Anyway, some people have been saying that they're confused so far with this story. Well, let me tell you this right now. This chapter will most definitely...CONFUSE YOU MORE THAN EVER BEFORE! MWAHAHAHA! ...Ehm, anyway, it might be kind of confusing right now, but I promise, it will all make sense eventually. Anything worthwhile in life requires patience! But enough of my talking, on with the story!

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**Chapter 2**

Cilan blinked his eyes open as they adjusted to the brightness of the empty room. Everything around him was a terrible glaring white. He looked around, confused. _Where am I…? _He thought to himself. Suddenly, he noticed his brothers, Chili and Cress, lying on the floor not far from him. He hurried over to them and shook them awake. "Chili, Cress, wake up! Where are we?"

"Ugh, Cilan? What's going on?" Cress asked as he sat up. "What is this place?"

"I don't know, but there's nothing but white everywhere! Not a single bit of red! My fiery heart can't live without the warmth of the color!" Chili exclaimed, beginning to panic.

"Chili! You can't be worried about that right now! We need to focus on how we might get out." Cilan said determinedly.

"Oh, but even if you could leave, why would you?" a voice boomed out of nowhere, startling the three brothers.

"H-Hey, who are you?" Cress asked as they stood up. "Why are you keeping us here?"

"Why, Cress, you should think of it as an honor that I have allowed you and your brothers Cilan and Chili to be in my presence." the voice boomed again.

The brothers' eyes widened. "How do you know our names?" Cilan asked.

"I have been observing the three of you for quite some time now. The way you battle, the way you run your gym, all of it. And I have to say, I am quite impressed," the voice said. "I have selected you three out of all the trainers and gym leaders in the Unova region to work as high ranking officers in our operation and organization."

"Wait wait wait, hold the phone here. You selected _us _for this so-called important job out of _all_ of the gym leaders and trainers in the region? Why us then?" asked Cress.

"Yes, that choice does have an odd aroma to it. We're only novice gym leaders. There are others much stronger than us." Cilan added. The voice chuckled a bit.

"You three are the only ones fit to do this job." the voice started. "I saw potential in you. The other gym leaders have had more experience and therefore have a clear-cut way of doing things. They never change and cannot be forced to change. But you three don't have to be forced because there IS nothing to change! I will teach you the correct way to use Pokémon and you will assist me in return." The expressions of Cress and Cilan grew serious as they pondered what this mysterious person had just told them. Chili, on the other hand, paid little attention to what the voice had said and asked another question.

"Does this organization of yours have a name?" He asked, staring into the whiteness in front of him.

"But of course. We are known as Team Plasma." The voice answered back.

"Team Plasma? Ok, well, what is it that you do, exactly?" Chili asked.

"We are an organization that saves Pokémon from the shackles of their awful trainers." As the voice was saying this, various images of Team Plasma grunts, sages, and other members began to appear on floating screens all around the three brothers. They showed Plasma members taking Pokéballs from mean-looking trainers and smashing them, thus letting the Pokémon go free.

"Keeping Pokémon confined and forcing them to fight for these savages known as trainers is simply cruel," the voice continued, "Our goal is to free all Pokémon so they can be safe, once and for all." One by one, each scene ended, and then the Team Plasma symbol appeared on the screen. The screens all assembled at the front of the room, then combined to make one big Team Plasma symbol. In the middle of the symbol, the silhouette of an imposing man with a red cybernetic eye appeared. The man spoke in the same voice that had boomed through the room moments before.

"I hope you'll carefully consider my offer. Of course, declining would lead to, well, less desirable circumstances…for you."

Another Cilan, this one translucent and almost ghost-like, was watching these events unfold from a few feet away. He was starting to panic when he saw the man talking to the other him and his brothers.

"No! Stop! Don't listen! Run away, now!" He desperately yelled at the others. They seemed to be unable to see or hear him. Suddenly, the room began to blur before Cilan's eyes, and he was pulled further and further away from the others. Out of the chaos of sounds he was hearing, he could clearly make out the distinct noise of a heavy door slamming shut.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Cilan yelled just as the world around him went totally black.

* * *

Cilan woke up screaming. He sat up quickly and looked around, breathing heavily. He saw Ash and Pikachu by a campfire, and Iris and Axew were near the tree line, headed for a stream just a short distance away. They all heard Cilan scream and rushed over to him.

"Cilan! You're finally awake!" Ash exclaimed.

"We were so worried!" Iris said, relieved.

"Wh-what happened?" Cilan said breathlessly.

"We're not even sure. You just collapsed to the ground in pain and we couldn't get you to wake up." Ash said.

"That was about two hours ago. We decided to set up camp here and wait for you to wake up." Iris informed him. Cilan breathed a sigh of relief.

"So it was only a dream…" he said to himself.

"What was that?" Ash asked Cilan. Realizing that he had just said his thought out loud, Cilan straightened up.

"Ah, it was…nothing." Cilan answered him. "I feel much better now," Cilan said, changing the subject. "I think with a good dinner and some rest I'll be just fine." he started to stand up, and then fell back. Ash and Iris caught him before he hit the ground.

"Maybe you shouldn't try standing right now," Iris said with worry in her voice, "Ash and I can get dinner ready if you want."

"No no, I'm fine," He said, standing slowly on his own. Once he was upright, he smiled. "See?"

"Ok, if you're sure." Ash said. Cilan nodded and proceed to prepare the food. After they had all eaten their fill, everyone changed into their pajamas and laid out their sleeping bags in the middle of the clearing. It wasn't long before they were all fast asleep.

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Haha! Chapter 2 conquered! I truly hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will be significantly longer, as a matter of fact. Plus, we'll be getting into some of the main plot! I can't wait! Thank you for reading, and I'll see you again soon. Read and Review please!


	4. Chapter 3

Hellooooooo once again readers! I'm back with another update! Ok, this one is by far the longest chapter as of now, so it's extra special! This chapter is going to put the "TF" in TF fic, if you know what I mean lol. It might seem a little odd and/or random...but trust me, it's important and will be explained! So please enjoy, and on with the story!

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**Chapter 3**

Cilan was the first to wake up in the morning, as usual. He opened his eyes and saw the sun rising over the horizon. Unova sunrises are said to be among the most beautiful in the whole Pokémon World, but he couldn't enjoy it much. He had a splitting headache.

_Ow, I usually don't get headaches as soon as I wake up. _He thought to himself. Ash and Iris were still sleeping, so Cilan decided he would go wash his face in the nearby stream. Still half asleep, he made his way through the trees and to the clear, meandering stream. He bent down and put his hands and face close to the stream and splashed the cool water onto his face. He rubbed his eyes and forehead.

_Ah, that feels nice… _He thought. Suddenly, he realized what he was touching didn't feel like his own face. And what else was there? _Is that…FUR?! _Cilan thought in rising panic. He rushed to look back into the stream and at his reflection. But what he saw wasn't himself…It was a Simisage!

Cilan screamed loudly in realization. Well, at least it started out as a scream in his human voice, but it changed to monkey-like screech a few seconds later. He quickly covered his mouth, shocked at the sound he just made. _What am I going to do?! _He thought as he continued to panic.

* * *

A short distance away at the group's camp site, Ash and Iris were awakened by Cilan's monkey screech, but they were, of course, unaware of whom had made it. They sat up in their sleeping bags and looked at each other.

"Did you hear that?" Iris asked with a hint of fear in her voice.

"Yeah I did. Do you think it could have been a Pokémon?" Ash replied. Suddenly, he noticed the empty sleeping bag next to him. "Hm? Cilan's gone!"

Iris gasped. "Where could he have gone? He would have told us before he went somewhere, right?" Before Ash could say anything back, they heard more cries coming from the direction of the stream.

"There's that noise again!" Ash exclaimed. "We have to go check it out!" He quickly slipped on his jacket and his hat, and then started running towards the sound with Pikachu close behind.

"Hey, wait for us!" Iris yelled as she and Axew started running too.

Ash and Iris made their way through the trees and stopped just before they came out of the trees and into the stream area. It was then that they located the source of the strange noises. There was a chattering Simisage near the bank of the stream. It stood at about three and a half feet tall. It had shining leaf green eyes and the hair on its head was slightly shorter than most Simisages' hair, and it was styled so there were four little spikes on the top. It was jumping around erratically and looking quite panicked and in shock.

"Look, it's a Simisage!" Iris exclaimed. "It must have been the one making those noises we heard."

"Simisage?" Ash wondered aloud as he pulled out his Pokédex.

"Simisage, the Thorn Monkey Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pansage. It attacks enemies with strikes of its thorn-covered tail. This Pokémon is wild tempered." The Pokedex informed them with its electronic voice.

"Cool! It sounds like a tough Pokémon! I want to catch it! Come on, Pikachu!" Ash said determinedly.

"But Ash, we need to find Cilan!" Iris said quickly. She was too late, however, as Ash and Pikachu were already jumping out of the bushes.

Cilan stopped panicking enough to notice Ash jump out a short distance away. At first, he was relieved. _Oh thank goodness, they found me. Maybe they can help somehow or at least find out what's wrong with me. _He was about to say something to Ash, but he never got the chance because Ash yelled out:

"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

"What?!" Cilan exclaimed, but no one noticed. Pikachu was already discharging its Thunderbolt, and it hit Cilan dead on. He was knocked onto his back.

"Yes! Great job, Pikachu!" Ash said happily.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu responded.

"Now, go, Pokéball!" Ash yelled as he threw the red and white sphere at Cilan. It hit him and he was sucked inside. Both Ash and Iris watched the ball intensely as it shook back and forth. After a few seconds, it popped open and Cilan reappeared, kneeling on the ground.

"Aw man, it escaped." Ash said, sounding disappointed.

"ARE YOU INSANE?! I BARELY GOT OUT OF THERE!" Cilan yelled angrily at Ash. Iris' expression changed to that of confusion and amazement, while Ash's smile just got bigger.

"Wow, a _talking_ Simisage! I just have to catch it now! Go Pokéball!" Ash said again, but before he had a chance to throw it, Cilan jumped up and knocked the Pokeball out of Ash's hand with his thorny tail.

"No! You're not doing that again! I never want to go inside one of those again! Just slow down for a second!" Cilan and Ash both relaxed a bit. Cilan lowered his head and said with a serious tone: "I'm no Simisage."

"What? …well then you're the weirdest Magikarp I've ever seen." Ash said, clearly still not catching on. Iris, on the other hand, was starting to understand. She knelt down to look the Simisage in the eye.

"That voice, those green eyes… Cilan? Is that you?" Iris said slowly.

"Finally! Someone gets it!" Cilan said, relived.

"Cilan? It's you? No way, I don't believe it," Ash said as he also knelt down to eye level with the Thorn Monkey. "Prove it."

Cilan thought for a moment. "Ok, the Pokemon I have with me are Pansage, Dwebble, and Stunfisk," Cilan said matter-of-factly. "Is that enough proof for you, Ash?"

"Oh wow, it really is you, Cilan," Ash breathed, "Sorry I doubted you…and tried to catch you in a Pokéball." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's ok, just don't let it happen again." Cilan said, sweatdropping.

"We can worry about your phobia of Pokéballs later, Cilan. What I want to know is what happened to you?!" Iris exclaimed, motioning to Cilan's furry body.

"To tell you the truth, I really have no idea myself," Cilan said sincerely, "I woke up this morning with a headache, so I came over here to wash my face in the stream. You can imagine the shock I got when I saw my reflection, I'm sure."

"Yeah, I beat that was a surprise," Ash said, "Wait, so if you can still use your human voice, why were you making those sounds like an actual Simisage would?"

"I wasn't trying to, my voice just kinda did that on its own," Cilan explained, "It startled me, too."

"So, do you feel all right? I mean, you're not sick or achy or anything like that?" Iris questioned.

"No, I feel just fine really. Like normal, except a little itchy with all this fur," Cilan answered while scratching the back of his head, "And I'm really not used to being this short. How do you guys stand looking up to people all the time?"

"You get used to it." Ash said while sweatdropping.

"Hey, _I_ don't have to look up to anyone now!" Iris said happily. "I am now officially the tallest one in our group!" This earned her glares from the other two. She just smiled and said, "What? Well it's true!"

Cilan cleared his throat. "Anyway…having a tail is kinda awkward, too." He said, swinging his tail from side to side a bit.

"Come on, Cilan. Having a tail isn't that bad. It's kinda fun!" Ash said optimistically.

"Oh really? And how would you know? Have YOU ever had a tail before?" Cilan asked Ash skeptically.

"Actually, yes." Ash said matter-of-factly, and the other two fell over anime style.

"What? When did you ever have a tail?" Iris asked him, not really believing it.

"Let's see…It was way back when I was traveling in Johto with Misty and Brock. We met a Pokémon Magician and she needed help to finish a spell that would allow a person to read the minds of Pokémon. I was the first one she tested it on, but it didn't go quite as she had planned, and it turned me into a Pikachu for a day," Ash explained, "Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu, Pikapi! (That's right, Ash!)" Pikachu said. Once Pikachu had said this, Cilan's eyes widened and he began to back away from the others. He was whimpering slightly.

"P-Pikachu? Since when can you t-talk?" He said as he continued to scoot away from them.

"Huh?" Ash said, confused. "What are you talking about, Cilan? Pikachu didn't talk."

"Pika ka, pikachu pika pik? (Cilan, did you understand me?)" Pikachu asked. Cilan was a little hesitant to answer, thinking maybe he had finally just lost his mind, but then he got up the courage to say something back.

"Y-Yes Pikachu, I did understand you." Cilan said in amazement. This caused Pikachu and Axew to gasp. Ash and Iris just looked on slightly confused.

"Axew ew, axew ax? (He really understood you, Pikachu?)" Axew said in wonder. Cilan backed away a little further.

"Yes, I did, Axew, and I just understood you, too!" Cilan said in a voice that was somewhere between terror and disbelief.

"So you're saying you can understand both of them?" Ash asked excitedly. Cilan nodded absentmindedly.

"Wow Cilan, I guess that means you can understand any Pokémon!" Iris said happily. "Isn't that amazing?"

But Cilan was too distracted to hear her. "Y-You guys really didn't hear them talk? Not even a little bit?"

"Nope, nothing but them saying their names, as usual." Ash said.

"Helloooo? Isn't that a good thing? Now you can connect with Pokémon on a whole new level! That's part of a Pokémon Connoisseur's job, isn't it?" Iris said excitedly. Cilan just looked at her like she was crazy.

"Yes that's true…but the problem is that I am _not_ a Pokémon! I am a human being! Humans are not supposed to be able to understand a Pokémon's language! All of this has a very sour and unnatural flavor to it!" Cilan said, starting to panic again. He began to make the monkey-like noises again and fell back into a sitting position. Ash and Iris hurried over to give him some support to lean back on.

"Cilan, you have to calm down. It's gonna be all right, we promise," Ash said kindly. Cilan stopped making noises for a moment and looked up at both of his friends. "We'll both stay with you through this and help you as much as we can."

"Yeah! What happened to that optimistic connoisseur who always got us through tough situations?" Iris asked, trying to get Cilan's confidence back up.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry, both of you. I guess I'm just acting differently because Simisage are naturally temperamental and sensitive Pokémon." Cilan said looking at the ground. "That must be affecting my actions. I'll try to work on that."

"We understand. I would be in shock too if I woke up one day as a Pokémon with no explanation!" Iris said.

"Yeah. Thanks you guys." Cilan said smiling.

"Hey, we know you'd do the same thing for us." Ash said, also smiling. All three of them stood up again.

Axew opened his mouth to say something to Cilan, but Pikachu quickly stopped him and pulled him aside.

"(Hey, we really freaked him out by talking to him before. We should just let it sink in a bit before we try to talk with him again, ok?)" Pikachu said to Axew. [A/N: for longer sentences and conversations involving Pokémon other than Cilan, I won't include the Pokémon speak parts, just the translation. It will be in parentheses with quotes around it "(like this)". Remember they're not really speaking English, though.]

"(Oh, ok. I understand. Sorry.)" Axew said, slightly sad.

"(Don't worry, we'll talk to him later.)" Pikachu said with a smile as they turned towards the others again.

"Ok! I think our main priority for now should be finding a way to get Cilan back to normal." Iris said.

"Yeah, that's right!" Ash said happily.

"But Ash, what about your gym battle?" Cilan asked, concerned.

"I don't think that's quite as important as helping you out." Ash said to Cilan. Cilan smiled.

"Really?" He breathed. Ash nodded.

"Of course! Now, let's get going!" Ash exclaimed as he began marching off in a random direction. Iris and Cilan both sweatdropped.

"And where exactly are you planning on going _to?_" Iris asked as Ash continued to walk away.

"Uhhhh…" Ash said as he stopped and turned to walk back to the others. "I guess you're right. Where should we go?"

"Well, since you are a Pokémon now, like it or not, a Pokémon Center is probably the best place to start looking for answers and possibly solutions," Iris said to Cilan, "Nurse Joy can run some tests to find out if there's anything abnormal."

"Abnormal? I think we're way past that." Cilan said, chuckling slightly.

"Oh, you know what I mean," Iris said, crossing her arms, "She might be able to find out what caused this."

"Then I say that's where we should head to." Ash said as he started to speed walk back towards the campsite. "C'mon, we need to get our stuff packed up!"

"Hey! You're so impatient! Such a little kid!" Iris said as she and Cilan started to walk through the trees behind Ash. Cilan shook his head a little and thought to himself, _at least Ash can keep our spirits up. I wonder what in the world could be in store for us next._

* * *

Aw yeeeaauuhh, one more chapter down! And I hope you didn't think it was OVERLY weird...and I also hope that you liked it! I'll be getting more up as soon as I can, so please stay tuned! Read and review my friends!


	5. Chapter 4

****For the first time in a while, helloooo readers!

I am so, SO sorry that I haven't updated this in a long time. But this is an extra long chapter, and I had to write it from the ground up in this past month! It's more than 4,000 words O_o I told myself that I couldn't go to bed until I finished it, so here it is, 2:45am, and I'm updating XD Anyway, I'm really happy with how it turned out. I hope you like it, too! I would suggest re-reading some of the last chapter before you start on this one, just to refresh your memory. On with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"Everyone ready?" Iris asked as she was pulling on her backpack.

"Yup, Pikachu and I are all good to go!" Ash said as Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder. "What about you, Cilan?" He said as he glanced over to the green-furred form not far away.

"Almost…" Cilan said as he was concentrating on tying his green bow tie. "There! All ready to go!" he said as he placed his hands on his hips proudly.

"What's the point of putting that on now? It's almost too big for you!" Iris asked as she eyed the fancily tied ribbon.

"Well, I hardly ever take it off normally, so why stop now?" he said, grinning widely and showing his sharpened canines.

"Hey, whatever makes you happy! Now let's get going," Ash said, "How far away is the next Pokémon Center?"

Cilan pulled the electronic map out of his backpack and searched for Pokémon Center locations. "Hm, it looks like the closest one is further up the road to Driftveil City," he said, studying the map intently, "If we make good time we can be there by tomorrow."

"Great! Hopefully we can get this whole thing straightened out." Iris said as they started down the tree-lined dirt path.

"Yeah, and even if we don't find a solution, it may at least give us some answers," Cilan replied as he slipped the map into his pack and slung it over his shoulder. It nearly dragged across the ground when he walked now. "It just doesn't make any sense! As a Science Connoisseur, I would know if there were any natural ways for a human to become a Pokémon, and there sure aren't any that I can think of."

"Then do you think it's possible that someone-or some_thing-_did this to you on purpose?" Ash asked curiously.

"Well, it's not out of the question I suppose, but it's highly unlikely." Cilan answered him.

"Hmph! If someone _did _do this on purpose, they'll have to answer to me when we find them!" Iris said angrily. Ash and Cilan chuckled a little bit.

"I feel sorry for them already!" Ash said jokingly. Iris began punching at the air, and Ash just laughed harder. Cilan, on the other hand, had fallen silent in thought. The more he considered the possibility of foul play being involved, the more likely it seemed. The events of the past few weeks…could they really just be coincidences? He shook his head and pushed the thought out of his mind. _No, no, don't go jumping to conclusions, _he thought to himself,_ It's way too early to assume anything… _

* * *

The three friends continued their relatively uneventful journey for about three hours, with small talk and the occasional break. Ash kept them moving at a good pace, as he stared straight down the path with purpose. Occasionally, he would stop to gawk at a wild Pokémon, and the other two would have to move him along themselves. Iris was usually observing the surroundings: looking at the trees, the clouds, the beauty of nature. Cilan was content with just daydreaming while not chatting with his companions.

Suddenly, their peacefulness was interrupted by a low growling noise. Ash and Iris turned to look at Cilan at first. He put his hands up in defense.

"Hey, don't look at me. I didn't do that." They looked all around them, searching for what had just made the noise. They heard it again, this time from Ash and Pikachu's direction. The two of them rubbed their bellies with one hand.

"Heh heh, I think that was our stomachs," Ash said, slightly embarrassed.

"Pika. (Yeah.)" Pikachu said, mimicking his trainer's actions.

"Looks like someone's hungry," Iris said, "I could use something to eat myself."

"Then it sounds like it's lunch time!" Cilan said happily. The other two nodded and they all headed to a forest clearing not far away from the path. This area was rockier than where they had come from, so there were small rocks all around with a few large rocks. There was still plenty of grass and trees around as well.

"I'll start cooking, and you guys can relax for a while if you want." Cilan said, removing his backpack to get supplies.

"Sure, sounds good." Ash said as he and Pikachu walked off to explore a little.

"Let us know if you need any help!" Iris said. Cilan gave a nod and watched as Iris and Axew followed in Ash's direction. He then turned back to his preparations. _What should I make today…? _He noticed a Pecha berry tree not far away, and a slight grin crept across his face.

* * *

"Ash, Iris, it's lunch time!" Cilan called a short while later. Ash and Iris hurried over to the foldable table and took a seat.

"Yes! I'm starving!" Ash said as he watched Cilan bring the metal tray over to the table.

"Bon appétit!" Cilan said with a French accent as he pulled his favorite serving dome off of the tray. Underneath it there were dozens of berries, all fancily sliced and mixed together. Ash made an odd noise of joy and quickly dug into a large Iapapa berry. Iris hesitated for a moment.

"Cilan, I thought you never used only berries in your dishes," she said, slightly confused.

"True, but today feels like a berry kind of day!" Cilan replied excitedly as he picked up a berry slice of his own.

"A…berry kind of day?" Iris asked, but the other two were too distracted by lunch time to pay attention. She shrugged it off and started eating as well. Pikachu and Axew happily nibbled on Pokémon food next to their table. It wasn't long before every plate and dish was picked clean.

"Mmm, that was great, no matter how simple it was!" Ash said as he was finishing up. Suddenly, Iris gasped.

"Hm? What is it, Iris?" Cilan asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"I just realized that none of our other Pokémon know about, well, what happened to you!" Iris explained.

"You're right! How could we forget?" Ash said, standing up from the table. He grabbed his Pokéballs off of his belt and threw them in the air. "Everyone, come on out!" Tepig, Oshawott, Snivy, Tranquil, and Scraggy all appeared in front of him. Some let out small cries, happy to be out of their Pokéballs.

"Emolga, Excadrill, you come on out, too!" Iris said as she released her two Pokémon next to Ash's and they greeted one another. Cilan jogged over to his backpack and took out his Pokéballs.

"Pansage, Crustle, Stunfisk, you can come out as well!" He said as he tossed them in the air. With all of the Pokémon assembled, Ash walked in front of the small crowd and they all watched him intently. That is, until they noticed the unfamiliar Simisage not far away from the group. Ash took note of this.

"Hey everyone. I see you've noticed the Simisage in our midst, huh?" Ash began. "Well, he might look unfamiliar, but trust me, you know him. Hah…how do I say this…?" Ash said, rubbing his chin. Iris gave a frustrated sigh.

"You just come right out and say it! Look, Cilan has transformed into a Simisage and we have absolutely no idea why and absolutely no idea how to change him back!" Iris said blatantly. All the Pokémon gaped at her and turned in unison to look at Cilan. He let out a nervous chuckle and waved at them a little.

"(What?!)" Scraggy broke the silence first.

"(No way!)" Excadrill exclaimed.

"(Is that even possible?)" Snivy asked, breaking her normally cool nature.

"(Trainer is a not a person now? Does that mean trainer is still trainer…or is he not trainer now?)" Crustle said, thinking hard and making a face like he was struggling to understand.

"(Cilan? But, you don't look like him…are you sure you're him?)" Stunfisk asked quizzically.

"(Ooooooh.)" Oshawott added. The others simply gasped or talked amongst themselves about the news they had just heard.

Cilan listened and looked on with wide eyes, still not used to hearing Pokémon speaking. A moment later, Pansage stepped out of the crowd of other Pokémon and began walking over to Cilan, his dark eyes never leaving Cilan's green ones.

"(Cilan…could it really be you?)" Pansage asked in awe. Cilan was also somewhat in shock that he was able to understand his beloved partner Pokémon. He brought himself out of it enough to give Pansage a proper answer.

"Yeah, Pansage. It really is me," he said with a smile, "I swear, partner!" Pansage's face lit up like a light.

"(Wow…! And you can even understand me now?)" Pansage said. Cilan nodded in return. Pansage jumped in excitement.

"(I know we're together all the time, but I never imagined that we could actually talk to each other like this!)" Pansage said happily. He and Cilan had been together for almost all of their lives, so naturally he was happy Cilan could understand his words for once.

"You're right, I never thought it could happen either," Cilan replied, "I guess that's one upside to being stuck like this, huh?"

"(Yeah! We need to enjoy it while we can!)" Pansage replied.

"I'll enjoy it to the best of my ability! And it may be a while, because right now we've got no ideas." Cilan said, rubbing the back of his head.

"(We'll be on the lookout then.)" Pansage smiled widely at Cilan and he returned it. Iris and Ash had been looking on quietly, not wanting to interrupt their conversation, half of which they couldn't even understand. Just then, Tepig approached Cilan.

"(Um…Mr. Cilan? Simisage is a pretty strong grass type, right? I was just wondering: what kind of moves do you know?)" Cilan pondered the question for a moment.

"Hm, that's a good question, Tepig. I hadn't really thought of that." Cilan answered the Fire Pig Pokémon.

"What did Tepig say, Cilan?" Ash said, unable to hold his questions in anymore.

"He asked what kind of moves I know. I'm not really sure myself!" he explained.

"I know! Let me scan you with my Pokédex!" Ash suggested. He pulled the small electronic device out of his pocket and opened it up. He pointed the lens at Cilan and it automatically began scanning. He bypassed the species summary and went to the stats page.

"Simisage, level 35. Ability: Gluttony. Known moves: Energy Ball, Vine Whip, Brick Break, and SolarBeam." Ash read from the screen.

_Gluttony…that explains the exclusively berry lunch. _Iris thought to herself.

"(Wow, those sound like powerful attacks!)" Tepig said happily, eyes shining.

"Yeah, but I'm only level 35? That's a slightly disappointing and bland flavor," Cilan said, slightly sad, "And I don't even know where to start with learning moves!"

"What do you think training's for?" Ash asked with a smile. "If you're willing to learn, we would help you out!" All of the Pokémon nodded in agreement.

"Well, since you're offering…I can give it a shot!" he said determinedly.

"That's the spirit!" Iris said. "Let's see, Snivy can help with Vine Whip, Pansage can teach you SolarBeam, and Scraggy's a fighting-type, so I'm sure he could give you some tips on using Brick Break."

Snivy, Scraggy, and Pansage all stepped forward. "(I guess I could show you what I know)," Snivy said nonchalantly.

"(I'd love to help!)" Scraggy said happily.

"(It's the least I can do! Let us savor this lesson!)" Pansage said.

"I'm happy to hear that, all of you!" Cilan replied.

"Great!" Ash added. "Our only Pokémon that knows Energy Ball is Swadloon, but he's not with us right now. Looks like you'll have to work on that by yourself."

"That's fine. Three out of four isn't bad." Cilan said to Ash. "Let's get started!"

* * *

"(Now, in order to use Vine Whip, you have to steadily concentrate your energy to where the vines originate.)" Snivy explained. They had all moved to the middle of the clearing where there were a few tin cans set up nearby.

"Right," Cilan said. He shut his eyes and grimaced as he focused hard on his shoulders.

"You can do it, Cilan!" Iris cheered.

"Keep going!" Ash said.

"I'm…trying!" Cilan said, focusing even harder. Snivy gave him a quick slap across his face with her own Vine Whip.

"Ow!" Cilan said, rubbing his cheek. "What was that for?"

"(This isn't an attack you can force! You just have to trust that it will happen and allow it.)" Snivy replied. Cilan gaped at her for a moment, but then he relaxed his body.

"Ok. Let me try it again." He said, closing his eyes once again. He imagined power welling up in the white fluff around his shoulders and thought about how Snivy effortlessly used it all the time…

"Cilan! You're doing it!" Ash exclaimed. Cilan quickly opened his eyes and saw a pair of long, thin vines extending in front of him, attached to his shoulders.

"Woah," Cilan said, awestruck. The vines swung back and forth lazily as he felt out how to control them. "It feels just like moving an arm."

"(Not bad!)" Snivy said, "(Now, try grabbing one of those cans over there.)" she said, motioning towards the tin cans.

"Sure, just watch me!" Cilan said confidently as he turned and moved the vines toward one of the cans. He wrapped the end of each vine around it and carefully lifted it up into the air. He laughed triumphantly. "Yes! A surprisingly easy-to-master recipe!"

"(It's not quite mastered yet,)" Snivy pointed out, "(You still need to learn how to use it as an attack.)"

"Ok, and how do I do that?" Cilan asked, turning towards her.

"(You can stiffen up the vines so they pack more of a punch. Then swing them at your target as hard as you can.)" Snivy answered. Cilan concentrated more on the vines and they hardened up, like flexing a muscle.

"Right. Go, Vine Whip!" Cilan said as he brought the vines down hard on another one of the cans. It hit with enough force to completely crush the can and leave a small crater in the ground.

"Wow! What power!" Iris exclaimed.

"I'll say!" Ash said, stepping forward. "Way to go, Cilan!"

"Thanks!" Cilan said, looking happily at the crushed target.

"(That was really good, especially for a first timer,)" Snivy said, "(I'd say you've mastered it pretty well.)"

"Great! On to the next move!" Cilan said, but then paused for a moment. He held the vines up in the air. "Uh, does anyone know how to get rid of these?"

* * *

"(It's my turn now!)" Scraggy said with a smile. "(Are you ready to learn Brick Break?)"

"As ready as I'll ever be!" Cilan replied.

"(Good. Now, to use a fighting type move, you have to be able to concentrate all of your power to a single point,)" Scraggy stated, "(For Brick Break, the best option would be to focus on one of your hands.)"

"Ok, I've got this." Cilan focused hard on his right hand, channeling all of his energy toward it. After a few seconds it took on a somewhat orange sheen.

"(When you're ready, try striking that boulder over there.)" Scraggy said, pointing at one of the larger rocks nearby.

Cilan nodded and charged at the rock. He jumped in the air and put his right hand in front of him, ready to attack.

"Look at that!" Ash said, amazed.

"He's got it already!" Iris exclaimed.

But just a moment before impact, Cilan's hand lost its orange sheen. He faltered in the air when he saw this and smacked hard into the rock, all the power of the move lost. He grabbed at his hand and whimpered a little.

"Ah! What went wrong?" Ash questioned. Scraggy walked over to Cilan, who was now sitting against the rock.

"(Are you ok?)" Scraggy asked Cilan.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't think anything's broken." Cilan replied.

"(Fighting type moves require absolute focus,)" Scraggy explained, "(Like when I use Hi Jump Kick. All I focus on is the energy concentrated in my knee, and how powerful it makes me feel.)"

"Powerful…" Cilan said partly to himself and partly to Scraggy. "Ok. I'll try it again."

"(Awesome!)" Scraggy said encouragingly.

"You can do it!" Ash and Iris cheered. Cilan closed his eyes and channeled his energy to his right hand once again, and it began to glow orange.

"Brick Break!" He said as he ran and jumped at the boulder once again, concentrating only on the feeling of his right hand. With the skill and power of a Sawk, he brought down his fist on the top of the rock, splitting it down the middle and then completely shattering it. He landed on one knee, then stood and turned to face the others, smiling slightly.

"Amazing!" Ash yelled, awestruck.

"Who knew you had it in ya?" Iris said happily.

"(That was…excellent!)" Scraggy exclaimed. "(And just starting out, too!)" He did a little dance of happiness. Cilan walked over to him.

"It's because of you that I got it so quickly! For a young Pokémon, you're a great teacher." Cilan complimented, and Scraggy smiled.

"(That means a lot coming from a connoisseur! Thanks!)" Scraggy replied and Cilan nodded.

"Of course! Now, onto the next move: SolarBeam!"

* * *

"It's all pretty ironic, isn't it?" Cilan said to Pansage.

"(Hm? What is?)" Pansage asked, confused.

"Well, I'm your trainer, but now _you're_ the one who's training _me_," Cilan replied, "Weird, huh?"

"(Huh, I guess that's true,)" Pansage said with a chuckle, "(I didn't really think about it.)"

"Yeah. Anyway, shall we get started?" Cilan said, moving things along.

"(Sure. SolarBeam is different from the other moves you've learned in that it's a special attack instead of a physical one,)" Pansage began, "(Special attacks focus on altering your surroundings instead of part of your body. Other than that, the concept is similar.)"

"I think I can handle that," Cilan said in return.

"(Ok. What you need to do is relax your whole body and turn towards the sun,)" Pansage said, turning toward the sun and spreading his arms. Cilan watched and mimicked his actions.

"Right. Now what?" Cilan asked.

"(Now, feel the sun's light and warmth on your face, and allow it to absorb into you,)" Pansage said as his forehead began to sparkle slightly, "(Can you feel it?)"

"Yeah…I think I can!" Cilan said, his forehead beginning to sparkle as well.

"(Great! Now, imagine the energy you absorbed condensing into your hands,)" Pansage continued. He placed his hands on either side of his forehead and a ball of yellowish light formed between his palms. Cilan mimicked his actions once again, following his Pokémon's instructions. A ball of light formed between his hands as well.

"(If you're ready…)" Pansage said, "(FIRE!)" Both of them thrust their hands to the sky, forcefully sending their beams of concentrated sunlight back toward their source. The beams fizzled out shortly after, Pansage's lasting a bit longer than Cilan's.

"Wow, that was awesome!" Cilan exclaimed. "Never before have I felt such a rush of power!"

"(SolarBeam is among the most powerful of grass type moves,)" Pansage explained, "(That was a great first shot, and with a little more practice you'll be using it like a pro.)"

"That looked great, Cilan!" Iris said as she and Ash walked over to the two green monkey Pokémon.

"Just about perfect, from where I'm standing," Ash said with a smile.

"Thanks!" Cilan said happily. "This move thing isn't so bad. You think we can practice SolarBeam a little more, Pansage?"

"Sure, why not?" Pansage said as he and Cilan turned towards the sun once again. Numerous SolarBeams shot high into the sky above the trees.

* * *

Cilan had mastered three of his moves, or at least well enough for his purposes. The only move that remained was Energy Ball, for which he had no tutor. The group had returned to the area where the tin cans were set up.

"Ok, Energy Ball. How to go about this recipe…?" Cilan said to himself. Pansage chimed in with some advice.

"(I would imagine it's somewhat similar to SolarBeam, considering they're both special grass attacks.)" He informed Cilan. Cilan nodded in return.

"Ok. I'll try to use the SolarBeam method for this," Cilan said, closing his eyes and turning toward the sun, though his forehead didn't sparkle this time. After a moment, he turned towards the cans again.

"Energy Ball!" He yelled as he thrust his right hand out, but nothing at all happened. "Huh? I said Energy Ball…!" He said, repeatedly thrusting out his hand toward the can, but repeatedly, nothing happened.

"I don't think that's going to work," Iris said.

"Yeah. I guess the sun's energy isn't totally universal." Ash added.

"(I thought this might happen,)" Pansage began, "(Energy Ball must take its power from what's already in your body. Try to feel out your grass type energy and channel it into your hand.)"

"My…grass type energy?" Cilan questioned. "I'm not sure how to find that."

"(It's unexplainable, really.)" Pansage replied. "(It's different for every Pokémon.)"

Cilan was upset to hear that Pansage couldn't really help at all with this move. He had absolutely no idea _what _this grass type energy was, let alone how to tap into it. This left him with nowhere to turn for help. _What a useless Pokémon…_ Cilan thought to himself. Wait, what? What was he thinking? Pansage had been with him for as long as he could remember, and he was strong on top of that! Why would a thought like that even cross his mind? _Because it's true…_ The thought came out of the back of his mind, forcing itself over all other thoughts. Cilan was confused by these unwanted yet persuasive thoughts. He quickly turned away from Pansage.

"(Huh? Cilan, are you all right?)" Pansage asked, concerned. Cilan didn't say anything in return. Instead, he bowed his head and rose up his right hand once again. He held it out steadily, concentrating hard on the deepest reaches of his energy. After a moment, a small, glowing green orb appeared in his palm. He thrust his palm forward, sending it flying toward one of the cans.

"Oh!" Ash exclaimed. "He did it!"

However, soon after the miniature Energy Ball was released, it went haywire, flying way over the can and hitting the ground in the distance with a pop.

"Hm. Maybe not quite yet," Iris said, disappointed.

"(Yeah, it still needs something more,)" Pansage said, "(Oh well, that's what practice is for!)"

"Why isn't it easy, like before?" Cilan asked in a monotone voice. Pansage was caught off guard by this.

"(W-well, before you had a Pokémon to help you that really knew what they were doing,)" Pansage answered, unsure of his trainer's odd tone. "(It's nothing that a little practice won't fix, really.)"

"But that's not good enough!" Cilan yelled angrily as he suddenly fired a SolarBeam at the target can, nearly vaporizing it. Pansage's eyes widened. How had that attack suddenly gotten so powerful? "You're useless! Why can't you teach me this?" he yelled at Pansage. Pansage was taken aback by this. Cilan had never said something so hurtful to him—_ever. _

"Hey!" Ash yelled defensively. "It's not Pansage's fault that he doesn't know how to use Energy Ball!"

"Yeah! All you need is more practice and you'll have it down pat!" Iris added. "And I think you owe Pansage an apology."

"For what? For _his_ shortcomings? I don't think so!" Cilan retorted. "And you two are just as bad!"

As Cilan said this, Ash could have sworn he saw his eyes flash to pitch black for a split second. However, this didn't matter at the moment, considering how angry Cilan was for seemingly no reason.

"This isn't how you act, Cilan!" Iris said earnestly. "What's wrong with you?" Cilan continued to glare angrily at them for a moment, but then his expression softened. He looked at Pansage's hurt face and felt a pang of guilt rush through him.

"I-I'm…sorry…" Cilan said quietly. He then turned and started quickly walking away. The other three stared after him for a moment, but then followed slowly. Their time at this spot was up.

* * *

Phew, there you go. I felt so bad writing that last part...poor Pansage... Ahem, anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will (hopefully) come faster, because I've been looking forward to writing it for a long time. Thanks to all the people who have reviewed so far, and please, read and review! See you soon!


	6. Chapter 5

It's UPDATE TIME! Hello readers! The next update is here! :D I am so happy I finally got to write this chapter, and it's even better than I had hoped. I also need to get this around: I made a Facebook page for my FanFiction account! I'll post links to new chapters there, put my stories in the notes, and any other random entertaining posts will go there too. Just search Pokémon Connoisseur Lucario and hit like! Thank you very much, and on with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

For the next few hours, the group traveled in nearly complete silence, with Cilan walking a good distance ahead of Ash and Iris most of the way. They were unable to read Cilan's mood at all: if he was still angry, guilty, or just upset. When it began to get dark, they decided to stop for the night in an open field, where there was a break in the trees lining the path. Cilan didn't even prepare a dinner, which was very odd, as he never missed a chance to cook. When it was time to set up their sleeping bags, Cilan laid his out far away from the others. Despite his friends insisting that he move closer, he said nothing and didn't move. A wordless evening lead to a wordless night, and soon everyone had nothing to do other than fall asleep.

* * *

Cilan looked upon the chaos that was erupting all around him. The terrified screams of people and Pokémon alike. The fear on their faces. The cruel grins of the ones causing the uproar. His brothers in their pitch-black garments of authority.

And he smiled. Their boss would be very pleased by this.

The town had been under attack for a while now, and its usefulness was beginning to dwindle. They would have to move on soon. This meant the brothers' job as "supervisors" was nearly complete for today. He was just thinking of how nice it would be to get back to their dorm in the Plasma headquarters-

"No! Not my Purrloin! Please!" Cilan cringed at the sound of this particular shriek. It was female and very young. He searched through the chaos for the source, and soon found it in a little girl, doing her best to hold onto a Pokéball while a lowly grunt tried to rip it away.

"Little girl, this Pokémon is doing nothing in your possession!" the grunt yelled harshly. "With us, it will help save other Pokémon in distress!"

"But it's mine!" the little girl yelled back desperately, tears forming in her eyes. "It can't even battle yet!" Just then, a red-and-white clothed, slightly older boy ran out of nowhere and latched onto the grunt, punching him with his little fists as hard as he could muster.

"Get your hands off of my sister!" he screamed into the grunt's ear. He was braver than any other child Cilan had ever seen.

"Why you little…!" the grunt mumbled. He took hold on the Pokéball even harder. Without warning, he _kicked _the little girl so hard that she flew back about 10 feet. She landed on the ground hard, gasping for breath. The little boy immediately unlatched from the grunt and sprinted over to his sister.

"Sis! SIS!" he yelled, tears pouring from his eyes. The grunt ran off with the Pokéball without as much as a glance back. He had what he wanted. Cilan, however, stared and stared at the siblings, his heart wrenching at the sight. His wide eyes could be noticed even through his black mask. A moment later, he blacked out and fell to the ground.

* * *

Cilan's eyes snapped open and he shot up in his sleeping bag. He looked around, sweating and panting hard. He saw the figures of Ash and Iris sleeping a little ways away, Pikachu and Axew close by. He sighed deeply. The sun wouldn't be up for a few more hours.

He lay back down and tried to fall asleep once again, but in vain. The nightmare had shaken him to the core, and the guilt from his earlier actions was bothering him as well. After a few minutes he decided that lying down wasn't helping at all, so he stood up and started walking toward the tree line. He wasn't sure where he was going, he just needed to get away for a moment.

Pikachu's ears perked up as he was awakened by Cilan's footsteps. Pikachu watched as Cilan passed by and walked through the trees, unaware of his observer.

"Pika ka?" Pikachu questioned quietly. After a moment, he slipped silently away from his trainer and hurried to follow Cilan through the forest.

Meanwhile, Cilan had made it through to the other side of the woods and found a somewhat large grassy clearing. There was a high cliff overlooking the rest of the immense forest with a single large tree near the edge. He walked up the incline of the cliff and sat leaning up against the tree, looking out over the forest below.

He focused hard and formed a small Energy Ball in his hand, then threw it like a baseball over the edge of the cliff. It hit one of the trees below with a weak pop, sending a small flock of Pidove flying into the starry night sky. _Some grass type I am. I can't even get Energy Ball right. _He thought to himself as he watched the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon flying away. He sighed, still unable to get the nightmare off his mind.

Just then, he heard light footsteps coming up the hill behind him. He turned to see Pikachu standing close to him, illuminated by the dull moonlight.

"(Is this seat taken?)" Pikachu asked, motioning to the ground next to Cilan.

"Oh, uh, no, of course not! Take a seat," Cilan replied, caught off guard by the electric mouse's sudden appearance. Pikachu sat down.

"(What are you doing up here?)" Pikachu questioned, now looking out over the forest as well.

"I…couldn't sleep," Cilan said truthfully, "I'm still upset about not getting Energy Ball right. Sorry if I woke you up." He decided against telling Pikachu about his nightmare, as Pikachu wouldn't understand. No one would…

"(That's all right. I was sleeping lightly anyway.)" Pikachu responded. They sat there awkwardly for a few seconds, neither of them sure of what to say.

"(But you and I both know something else is really bothering you,)" Pikachu insisted, finally breaking the silence. Cilan gave in.

"Yeah, you're right," Cilan said with a sigh, "It's the way I treated Pansage, Ash, and Iris earlier."

"(I figured as much,)" Pikachu said, eyes shifting to the ground.

"I don't even know what came over me," Cilan began, "I've never felt anything like it before. It didn't even feel like I was the one acting. And Pansage's face…how could I have said such an awful thing?

"Then there's the obvious fact that I'm stuck as a Simisage. I mean, what happens if we can't figure out how to fix this? I can't be a Pokémon _and_ a Pokémon Connoisseur, so my dream is gone if there's no solution. I couldn't be a Gym Leader or even a normal trainer anymore!" As he was speaking, Cilan's eyes were slowly filling with tears. He blinked and a single tear fell to the ground, catching the moonlight as it fell.

After another brief moment of silence, Pikachu spoke. "(We may not know what to do now,)" he said, "(But that doesn't mean there isn't hope. One way or another, it will all turn out all right in the end.)"

"But how can you be so sure?" Cilan asked. "How can you know that this isn't the end?"

"(Stay optimistic and trust that fate is on your side,)" Pikachu answered, "(That's all we can do.)"

"Then what about Ash, Iris, and Pansage?" Cilan continued, "How can I even apologize for something like that? What if they don't forgive me?"

"(You're truly sorry for what happened, right?)" Pikachu asked and Cilan nodded. "(Then they will forgive you. I know my trainer and he's never been one to hold a grudge against just anyone, especially not against a good friend. I'm sure Iris will understand as well.)"

"But Pansage is still a completely different matter," Cilan said sadly, "I've never said anything even close to that to him before."

"(Pansage is your partner Pokémon. I'm sure something like this could never sever the bond you two have.)" Pikachu said reassuringly. "(But you can never know until you try, and by all means, I think it needs to be done.)"

"Yeah. It does." Cilan said, shifting his gaze to the crescent moon once again. "Ok. I'll apologize first thing in the morning." Pikachu smiled at him in return.

"(I'm glad. And I know it will be fine,)" Pikachu said kindly. "(Hey, you know what? It could have been worse.)"

"Hm? How so?" Cilan asked, confused.

"(…You could have turned into a Purrloin.)" Pikachu said mischievously. Cilan cowered back at the thought.

"That would have been awful! I'd literally be afraid of my own shadow!" He said in a scared tone and Pikachu laughed.

"(We wouldn't want that now, would we?)" Pikachu said, chuckling. "(All the more reason for you to enjoy this while you can.)"

Cilan straightened up again and straightened his bow tie. "Cilan the Simisage. It does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

"(I suppose it does,)" Pikachu said happily.

"You're a really smart Pokémon, Pikachu." Cilan complimented, "It seems like you always know just what needs to happen."

"(Well, thanks. I'm just helping as best as I can.)" Pikachu replied with a yawn.

"You should go get some sleep. I'll come back soon." Cilan said and Pikachu nodded sleepily. Pikachu got up and started walking back toward the tree line.

"Hey, Pikachu." Cilan called. Pikachu turned to look back at him. "Thanks."

Pikachu gave a small smile in reply, then turned and began walking again. Cilan took one last glance at the moon, and then closed his eyes. He finally drifted into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Cilan was awakened by the brightness of the early sunrise. He shielded his sleepy eyes from the light as he got up and stretched. He quickly climbed to the top of the large tree he had fallen asleep under and looked in the direction of the campsite. Ash and Iris could be seen in the distance, still fast asleep. He gave a slight smile and climbed down. He had work to do.

About an hour later, Ash and Iris stirred from their sleep.

"Morning, Iris!" Ash said, stretching and yawning. "You too, Pikachu."

"Chaa!" Pikachu squeaked, also yawning.

"Morning," Iris greeted. It was then that she looked over to where Cilan's sleeping bag was and saw that it was empty. Her eyes widened. "Oh no. Ash, Cilan's not here!"

"Huh?" Ash said, turning around to see for himself. "You're right! You don't think he could have left, do you?"

"He better not have!" Iris said angrily.

"Pika!" Pikachu said, stepping between the two trainers.

"What is it, Pikachu?" Ash questioned.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said as he started running in the direction of the cliff. Ash and Iris blinked and looked at each other.

"Where's he going?" Iris questioned as she watched the Mouse Pokémon retreating toward the woods.

"Who knows? Let's go see," Ash said as he started following Pikachu through the trees.

"Ok, come on Axew, let's go," Iris said as she and Axew trailed after them.

When Pikachu came through to the clearing, he was shocked by what he saw. There was a large campfire burning not far away, with folding tables set up all around it. On the tables, there were countless plates and bowls of berries that must have had hundreds of berries total. Cilan was standing over one of the tables with his back turned to Pikachu, slicing up a Sitrus berry.

"(Cilan…you did all this?)" Pikachu asked in wonder. Cilan turned around quickly when he heard Pikachu speak.

"Yeah, it didn't take that long," Cilan replied like it was no big deal. "Wait, if you're here, does that mean Ash and Iris are-" his question was answered by Ash's voice coming from the forest.

"Hey! Pikachu, wait up!" He said just before he and Iris stepped into the clearing as well, causing Cilan to tense up.

"What the…?" Iris said as she saw the berry feast sprawling out in front of them.

"Wow," Ash said in awe, "Cilan, did you do all this?" Cilan lowered his head.

"Y-yeah, it's all for you two, if you want it," he said shakily. He glanced at Pikachu, who was standing next to Ash. He gave Cilan a determined look and nodded.

"But before that, I have something to say," Cilan said, raising his head up to look them both in the eye.

"I feel bad—" he shook his head, "no, I feel just awful!—about yesterday! What I said was pointless and uncalled for and I didn't even know what I was doing!" He said frantically. "Look, the point is, I'm sorry! I'll try to get this stupid Simisage temper under control and I won't do it again!"

Ash and Iris glanced at each other and smiled. Cilan was taken aback by this. What was there to smile about at a time like this?

"Cilan, we were never upset with you," Ash said and Cilan's eyes widened.

"W-what? Is that true?" He asked, taking a step forward.

"Of course! After you wouldn't talk to us yesterday, we were only afraid…afraid that you weren't going to be ok." Iris added.

"And we're just glad to see you're not upset anymore. Right, Iris?" Ash said kindly and Iris nodded.

"We promised we'd stick with you through this, and we plan on keeping that promise." Iris said.

"Thank you so much. You don't know how much that means to me," Cilan said with gratitude.

"Now then, I say we shouldn't let all these berries go to waste!" Ash said happily as he walked over to one of the fireside tables.

"Ash! You're such a kid!" Iris scolded playfully.

"You should go enjoy it too," Cilan told her. She started walking over to the table as well and grabbed Cilan's arm on the way by.

"Then you're coming too," she said as she pulled him along and he objected, saying it was part of his apology. Pikachu looked on with a smile and let out a sigh of relief. _He did it, _Pikachu thought to himself.

"(Well, I'm glad that's over with,)" Axew said, also relieved. Pikachu nodded.

"(It's great that they're getting along again,)" Pikachu stated, "(But let's hope it goes just as well with Pansage.)"

* * *

Once the trio had eaten their fill of berries, they returned to the campsite. Cilan had told Ash and Iris of how he wanted to apologize to Pansage as well on the way back.

"Pansage hasn't been out of his Pokéball since yesterday," Iris informed Cilan, "He seemed pretty upset."

"Yeah, I know," Cilan said with a sigh, "I don't blame him. I'm still going to give it my best shot."

"I'm sure it'll be just fine," Iris said with a smile, "He is your partner Pokémon, after all."

"Hey Cilan, that reminds me," Ash said, speaking up, "I've been wondering…how did you first meet Pansage anyway?"

"He was a gift from my parents," Cilan said, eyes shining at the memory, "Chili got Pansear and Cress got Panpour at the same time. We were only five years old. Our parents said that they were newly hatched Pokémon donated to the gym by the daycare couple up the road."

"Wow, so you've known Pansage for twelve years?" Ash asked in amazement. "Talk about a lifelong partnership!"

"Yeah, our parents told us that if we were to become the next Striaton City Gym Leaders one day, we would need to learn everything about our Pokémon as soon as possible," Cilan explained, "I still remember dad's words. 'Be kind to those Pokémon and become good friends with them! You'll be big, strong gym leaders one day for sure!'" He continued with a chuckle.

"Speaking of your parents, we never did meet them," Iris pointed out, "They weren't at the gym when we first met you."

"That's true. You see, they're the former gym leaders of Striaton City," Cilan explained, "They retired when Chili, Cress and I turned fifteen and became the new leaders. Now they spend most of their time in Undella Town, where they have a vacation home."

"That's pretty far from Striaton City, isn't it? Don't you three miss them?" Ash asked.

"Of course! But they visit occasionally and call often, so it's not that bad." Cilan said and Ash nodded.

The rest of their walk was basically silent. Soon enough they came to their sleeping bags again. Cilan went to his backpack and brought out Pansage's Pokéball.

"Well, here we go," He said with a sigh, holding the ball in front of him, "Pansage, come out!" He waited for a moment, but Pansage did not come out of the sphere. "Pansage?" Cilan questioned.

"It doesn't seem like he's very willing to come out," Ash commented worriedly. Cilan shook his head and turned the Pokéball around to look at the front of it.

"Pansage, I know you're upset. I don't blame you. But please, give me a chance! We need to talk!" Cilan pleaded. When Pansage still refused, Cilan scowled. He curled his fingers around the edges of the ball and began to pry it open.

"Pansage…!" He said, putting all his might into pulling the Pokéball open.

"Cilan, be careful!" Iris warned.

"I know I hurt you, Pansage," Cilan said through gritted teeth, "I sincerely apologize for that. You have to believe me!"

"(Cilan…)" Pikachu mumbled nervously.

"You were the first Pokémon I really learned to trust," Cilan said, loosening his grip a bit, "We were both so young when we met. We practically helped raise each other! I don't want to throw all that away now. Please, you have to remember…" he trailed off at the end, his voice cracking of desperateness. Ash and Iris looked on sadly, unsure of what to do.

Finally, the Pokéball popped open and Pansage appeared in front of Cilan, his back turned. Everyone was somewhat shocked by his voluntary appearance, almost like a legendary Pokémon jumping out in front of you. He slowly turned his face to the group, but instead of an angry look, there were tears in his eyes. After a moment, he leapt over to Cilan and caught him into a hug.

"(Cilan! You're still you!)" Pansage said, sobbing.

"What are you talking about, Pansage?" Cilan asked, confused.

"(I was s-scared that you w-weren't going to be the s-same after this,)" Pansage explained, tightening his hold on the connoisseur, "(That you would hate me forever.)"

"Pansage, I could never hate you!" Cilan replied, now returning the hug. "You're the best partner a trainer could ask for."

"(And I would never want another trainer besides you!)" Pansage said happily, now with tears of joy.

"What a sight," Iris said to Ash with a smile, "You can't find a bond deeper than that."

"Yeah. I'm glad everything worked out ok." He turned and smiled at Pikachu on his shoulder. "You and I will always be partners, right buddy?"

"Pika!" Pikachu replied, returning the smile.

"Us too, Axew," Iris said, turning to Axew.

"Ax!" Axew said happily. With happy hearts and minds, they resumed their journey to the Pokémon center, where hope lies.

* * *

Got it done! Excellent! Ok, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to like the Facebook page. I positively ADORE reviews, so leave one, maybe? XD


	7. Chapter 6

Hello again, readers! Gah, I'm so sorry I haven't updated this in a while...but seriously! Every time I got a chance to write I was all like "Ok, it's writing ti-Oh look, new Blue Exorcist dub!" or "Time for wri-Oh my goooossh, Full Metal Alchemist~!" or "Can I please write today? No, it's time to learn Japanese!" Yeah. I got distracted. A lot. Oh well, the point is, chapter 6 is here! I really hope you enjoy it. Also, to the reviewer called Takedigi...

Muchas gracias! Soy feliz que le gusta mi historia. No se mucho espanol, pero yo se un poco. Voy a continuar la historia y terminar, tambien. Prometo!

Once again, thank you to ALL of my readers, reviews, one-time visitors, everyone! Now then, on with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

The three trainers stood outside of the long-sought-after Pokémon center, as still as statues with anticipation.

"Here we are, finally," Iris said, staring at the fancy "P" logo that made this building's purpose unmistakable.

"Yup," Cilan said with a gulp.

"Now remember, just stick with the plan, ok?" Ash said, glancing over to Cilan.

"Plan? I wouldn't call keeping my mouth shut a plan," Cilan said in an unsure tone.

"Then just don't talk. Make whatever Simisage sounds you feel like," Iris proposed.

"Well if we don't get inside then there's no point to any of that!" Ash said, annoyed, as he began to walk towards the Pokémon Center's doors.

The Pokémon Center was small and empty with a few chairs and some plants for decoration. The reception desk was to the left of the door, where Nurse Joy and Audino stood.

"Oh! Um…welcome to the Pokémon Center!" Nurse Joy greeted as Ash, Cilan and Iris walked in. "I'm very sorry about our minimal comforts. We don't have many visitors way out here, but I promise that our Pokémon services are first rate! Now, what can I do for you?"

"You see, my Simisage…hasn't been feeling himself lately," Ash told Nurse Joy. It was true, technically. He turned and looked at Cilan expectantly.

"Oh, uh…Simisaaaage!" Cilan moaned in his best Simisage voice as he put a hand to his forehead dramatically. Ash stifled a laugh while Iris rolled her eyes.

"C-could you take a look for me, please?" Ash sputtered, still resisting the urge to laugh. Audino looked curiously at the three trainers, sensing something wasn't quite right. Nurse Joy, on the other hand, bought their act completely.

"Oh yes, by all means!" Nurse Joy said cheerfully. "If you'll just follow me, we'll get started." She walked through the door to the medical room with Audino, Ash, Cilan, and Iris following close behind.

"All right Simisage, step into that machine over there, please," Nurse Joy said, motioning to a tall machine against the right wall of the even smaller room. Cilan nodded and stepped into the padded machine, the restraints automatically fastening shut. He glanced nervously over to Ash and Iris, who smiled reassuringly in return. "Ok. Audino, would you pull the switch?" Nurse Joy asked.

"(Right,)" Audino responded, pulling a large lever on the side of the machine. The machine lit up with a soft glow, scanning Cilan all over. On the opposite wall, a screen came to life full of diagnostic information. Nurse Joy studied the screen intently.

"Let's see…temperature is ok, vitals are at normal rates, chlorophyll levels are just fine…" Nurse Joy said, going through each bit of information.

_Chlorophyll levels… _Cilan thought to himself, spacing out over the rest of Nurse Joy's analysis. As a grass type expert, he knew that chlorophyll is as vital to a grass type as blood is to a person. It was just odd to know he now relied on it for life as well.

"…and I don't see anything wrong in particular." Nurse Joy finished. Cilan hung his head in disappointment as the restraints released and he stepped out of the machine.

"Man, and I was really hoping that we would be able to figure this out," Ash said sadly and Iris nodded in agreement.

"I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid I can't offer any help if there's nothing wrong," Nurse Joy apologized.

"We understand. Thanks for trying," Iris said as she and Ash turned to go to the lobby once again and Cilan followed.

Iris and Cilan had already made it outside, but just before Ash left as well, Nurse Joy stopped him.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, "I really feel bad about not being able to help your Simisage, but if you're still worried, I would suggest taking it to a grass type specialist. I believe the best-known one in Unova lives in Striaton City and works as a gym leader there. What was his name…Cilan, I think!" Cilan's jaw dropped when he heard what Nurse Joy had said, and Iris had to pull him away from the door to keep him from charging at Nurse Joy. Ash just sweatdropped and kept listening.

"There's a bus stop not too far west of here that has routes to Striaton City, if you want to give Cilan a visit." Nurse Joy continued.

"Th-thank you," Ash said awkwardly before hurrying out of the Pokémon Center. He joined up with Iris and Cilan, who were already a little ways down the path. Iris was trying to keep up with Cilan, who was as angry as a Primeape.

"The nerve of that woman! Serving up such a rotten dish!" Cilan growled. "All she did was refer us to _me_, and clearly I have no ideas!"

"It's not like she knew who you were!" Iris shot back irritably. "Only a little kid would be so upset about this!"

"Oh yeah? _You're _the only kid I see around here!" Cilan retorted.

"Don't talk to me like that, short stuff!" Iris yelled.

"I'm taller than you!" Cilan said, jumping up to eye level with Iris.

"Not right now, big ears!"

"Big _hair!_"

Both of them growled at each other for a moment before Ash grabbed them by the shoulders and pulled them apart.

"Stop it, now!" Ash said calmly yet firmly. "First of all, what happened to controlling your temper, Cilan?"

Cilan's angry expression softened when he heard this. "Gah, you're right, I did it again!" He said, frustrated. "Iris, I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of that."

"Y-yeah, me neither," Iris said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Second of all," Ash continued, "Nurse Joy did give us something helpful."

"She did? What's that?" Cilan asked.

"Maybe the answer's not with you, but it could still be in Striaton City." Ash answered.

"Huh?" Cilan and Iris said.

"Think about it. You, Chili, and Cress are experts on _all _of the elemental monkey Pokémon, right?" Ash pointed out.

"That's right!" Cilan said with a smile, "Maybe they would know something about Simisage I don't!"

"It's worth a shot!" Iris added. "We're kind of out of alternatives…again."

"All right, then it's decided," Ash said happily, "We're heading to Striaton City!"

* * *

"This…is it?" Iris asked.

"This is where the map says it is," Cilan said, looking at his electronic map, "Driftveil area bus stop."

It was nothing more than a worn-down little shack with a bare, flickering light bulb stuck on the side for nighttime travelers. There was a low bench as well, with a young man sleeping heavily on it.

_I wonder how long he's been here,_ Ash thought, staring at the passed-out traveler.

"Well, it's not exactly a five-star course," Cilan said, "but it will have to do."

For about fifteen minutes, they stood there waiting for the bus, with most of the noise coming from the snoring man. Finally, a bus that looked about as worn down as the bus stop itself pulled up with a sign that said "Striaton City" plastered on the front. As the bus' brakes engaged, the young man awoke with a start, and hurried onto the bus the second its doors opened.

"Finally!" Iris said, walking to the bus' open door, followed by Ash and Cilan. She was no more than three steps into the bus when the driver quickly stuck out his arm to stop her.

"Huh?" She said, confused.

"Can't you read?" The bus driver asked irritably in a gruff voice. He was an old, wrinkly-skinned man with eyebrows thick enough to cover his eyes and a moustache bushy enough to cover his mouth. He slapped his other hand onto a small white sign posted on the windshield of the bus.

"No Pokémon outside of their Pokéballs on the bus," Ash read from the sign.

"Ah, so you _can_ read," The bus driver said, "So take heed of it!" He pointed at Cilan, then at Pikachu, and finally at Axew.

"U-uh, but you see, sir, these Pokémon don't like being in their Pokéballs-"

"I have followed the rules and stayed on schedule for forty years! I ain't gonna let a couple a' rebellious kids break that streak! Now, this bus is drivin' off in two minutes, and if your Pokémon aren't in their Pokéballs before then, you ain't gonna be on it!" The bus driver spat out. Ash and Cilan just stood there, shocked, but Iris grabbed them both and pulled them off the bus. She pushed them behind the bus stop so they could talk.

"What are we supposed to do?!" Cilan asked frantically. "We have two minutes before we miss our chance!"

"You're gonna have to let one of us catch you!" Iris said back.

"Are you crazy? No!" Cilan retorted.

"(I don't want to go into my Pokéball!)" Pikachu moaned.

"(Me neither!)" Axew said, ducking into Iris' hair.

"You see? Not even Pikachu or Axew wants to be in a Pokéball!" Cilan said desperately.

"Wait! I know what to do!" Ash interjected.

"Ok, what?" Iris asked. Ash quickly removed his backpack.

"Pikachu, think you can fit in there?" Ash asked Pikachu.

"(Anything's better than that Pokéball!)" Pikachu said as he crawled into Ash's bag.

"Now, Cilan, take off your backpack," Ash told Cilan.

"You really think I can fit in there?" Cilan asked.

"It's that or the Pokéball!" Iris reminded him. His eyes widened for a second, and then he sighed.

"Bag it is, then," He said. Ash held the bag open while Cilan stepped in carefully, then tucked down in as far as he could. Ash quickly latched the bulging backpack before it could come open.

"How is it?" Ash asked.

"A little tight, but I can live with it," Cilan's voice came from inside the bag.

"Axew, you should be fine where you are now," Iris said.

"(Yay!)" Axew's voice came from inside Iris' hair.

"Ok, now we need to get going, we've got a minute left—at most!" Ash said, carefully putting his backpack on as to not jostle Pikachu around too much. He also grabbed Cilan's bag and he and Iris sprinted back to the bus.

"Ow! Hey, careful!" Cilan said from inside the swinging backpack.

"Sorry!" Ash apologized quietly as they came to the bus' door. They climbed the steps into the bus and stopped in front of the driver once again.

"We're back!" Ash said happily.

"Back? Do I know you?" The bus driver asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, not really, but you just told us to put our Pokémon in their Pokéballs, and we did it!" Ash replied awkwardly.

"Boy, I ain't never seen you in my life!" The bus driver said, sounding almost angry.

"But—" Ash said before Iris pulled him away and down the bus' aisle.

"Let it go, you're drawing attention. We don't need that," Iris said quietly as they both sat down on a padded bench-like seat near the front of the bus. The bus was nearly full, so they were lucky to get a good place to sit. Ash took off his backpack and set it between him and Iris. He set Cilan's bag down on his other side, closest to the aisle.

"I'm not sure if that driver's all there…up here," Ash said, pointing to his head.

"Well let's hope he's still a good driver," Iris replied.

"Yeah. Hey Cilan, Pikachu, are you doing ok?" Ash said just loud enough for them to hear.

"I'm just fine," Cilan whispered back.

"(Me too,)" Pikachu added. The bus' doors slid shut and the bus lurched forward.

"We're on our way," Iris said happily, watching the trees pass by. It wouldn't be long before they were back to Striaton City.

* * *

The bus drove along for about half an hour. Due to the bus' wear, it was by no means a smooth ride, but it was tolerable. Iris had been faithfully staring out the window for nearly the entire ride, and in the distance she spotted a cluster of skyscrapers and a Ferris wheel.

"Hey Ash, look! There's Nimbasa City!" Iris said, drawing Ash's attention to the window.

"Yeah, you're right! We must be on the outskirts of the city instead of going right through it." Ash replied.

"Nimbasa City?" Cilan's voice came from in his bag. "Ah, how I wish I could be in the sanctuary of one of Gear Station's subway cars right now!" The bag rocked back and forth as he talked and moved about, looking quite unnatural.

"Shhhhh!" Ash hissed loudly, turning towards the backpack. The man across the aisle from them glanced away from his newspaper and raised an eyebrow at Ash. Ash chuckled nervously and sat forward again.

"You need to be quiet. Don't move around so much," Ash said out of the corner of his mouth.

"Ok, sorry," Cilan whispered back. _This might be a longer ride than I thought, _he said to himself.

* * *

Along the way, the ride became progressively bumpier, so Ash decided to hold onto the strap of Cilan's backpack, just in case. They had just passed Castelia City when both Ash and Iris began to feel sleepy.

"Iris, I'm just gonna…rest my eyes for a minute…" Ash said with a yawn.

"That's fine, I think I might too…" Iris replied sleepily. The bumpy ride was not enough to keep them from taking a nap.

"Guys? Hello?" Cilan whispered, but the only response he got was Ash's the soft snoring. He sighed and thought to himself, _Great, now I'm alone, folded up in my own backpack, stuck as a Pokémon, and…sleepy… _ He yawned, closed his eyes, and began to doze off. As Ash fell deeper asleep, his grip on the strap of Cilan's bag loosened.

Suddenly, the bus hit a particularly large bump, rocking all of the passengers in their seats. Ash and Iris awoke with a start, and Cilan's bag flew off of the seat so fast that Ash couldn't catch it. It flew to the front of the bus and smacked into the windshield with a thud, Ash and Iris cringing at the noise. Cilan slid out and landed on the floor in a heap.

"Ow, ow, ow…" Cilan mumbled as he stood up carefully. "Ash! I thought you were holding onto my bag!" He yelled angrily in Ash's direction. He then noticed that every passenger on the bus was now staring at him. "I mean, uh, Simisage?" He said quickly, realizing his mistake.

"Did you hear that?"

"Heck if I didn't!"

"It can talk! That Pokémon can talk!"

"How interesting! I want it for my own!"

"You kiddin'? Do you know how much I could sell a talking Pokémon for?!"

A wave of people quickly rushed towards Cilan, and he backed up against the front of the bus as far as he possibly could. Ash and Iris rushed in front of him to keep people away.

"Back off!" Iris yelled angrily.

"It's our Pokémon!" Ash added.

"Kid, how much you want for it? I'll pay you right now!" A man said, pushing his way to the front of the crowd and whipping out his wallet.

"I'll pay you double whatever he offers you!" A woman yelled from the back.

"Triple!" Someone else in the middle of the crowd yelled.

"Not for sale! Now back _off!" _Iris said, pushing and shoving the crowd back. In the middle of the confusion, the bus driver had pulled over and stopped on the side of the road.

"You two!" He said, suddenly recognizing them again. He didn't seem to care at all if Cilan could talk or not. "I told you before: no Pokémon outside their Pokéballs on the bus!" The door slid open and Ash, Cilan and Iris were (quite literally) thrown off the bus. As soon as the door was shut, the bus took off again, leaving the three trainers in the dust. As it drove away, the crowd shifted to plastering themselves against the back windshield, watching as the talking Simisage grew further and further away.

"The nerve of that guy!" Iris said, annoyed. "How dare he throw us off like that!"

"Actually, I'm kinda glad we're off of there. Those people had overwhelmingly sour tastes," Cilan said with a shiver.

"Yeah, but now how are we gonna get to Striaton City?" Ash asked dejectedly. Cilan pulled out his map.

"Looks like we're just past Nacrene City," He said, "That's just one town over! We can make it there on foot!"

"Great! But maybe we should wait until tomorrow," Iris said, looking at the setting sun, "It'll be dark soon."

"Ok. Well camp out here for the night, then set out for Striaton City first thing in the morning." Cilan proposed and Ash and Iris nodded in agreement. They set out to find a good campsite, the possibilities of tomorrow swirling in their minds.

* * *

Done :3 Sorry that it's a little shorter than some of the others, but it had to be that way to fit with my plan for the rest of the chapters. Speaking of which, I think there will probably be about 4 or 5 chapters left, plus maybe a little epilogue. But fret not, for I have other story ideas that I will start on as soon as I'm done with this one! Thanks for reading, and if you have the time, please write me a review? I love them oh so much, and they really do help. Sincerely yours, PCL!


	8. Chapter 7

****Hey look, another 2:45 a.m. update! XD Hello and happy new year, readers! You all get one more update before 2012 ends. And guess what? The world's still here! :D I would have had this up sooner, but I was conflicted about how far to go with it for now. Don't worry, all will be revealed in due time! For now, it's chapter 7 time, so on with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"Uuugh…" Ash moaned irritably. It was nearly noon, which was still too early for traveling, according to him. "Uuuuugh…" He moaned a bit louder. Cilan still continued walking in front of him, tapping on his map. "Uuuuuugh...I can't take it anymore!" Ash finally said. "Cilan, I thought you said it wouldn't be long until we got to Striaton City! We've been walking for almost three hours already!"

Cilan snapped his map shut with one hand and stopped walking, Ash and Iris stopping as well. "Well…it's possible we made a wrong turn…" He said in an embarrassed tone without looking back.

"What? Darn it, we just can't catch a break, can we?" Ash said, hanging his head.

"How could you make a wrong turn?! This is _your _hometown we're talking about!" Iris exclaimed in disbelief.

"It's been a while, ok?" Cilan said in defense. "I didn't do it on purpose."

"Well," Iris sighed, "What should we do now?" Cilan thought for a moment, and then his face lit up like he had an idea. The path was lined with tall trees, and he ran over to one and quickly climbed to the top.

"I can see Wellspring Cave just over there!" He said, pointing out over the forest with one hand and shielding his eyes from the sun with the other. "That's very close to Striaton City. If we can get there, I know the way perfectly."

"Awesome!" Ash said happily. "Let's go now!"

"It would be much faster if we were to cut through right here," Cilan said mischievously. He fell leisurely off of the branch he was standing on and hung upside down by one foot, chattering playfully.

"What are you saying?" Iris asked suspiciously.

"I'm saying it's tree race time!" Cilan said, swinging back up onto the branch and crossing his arms. "If you think you can handle it."

"Ha! _You? _Beat _me _in a race through the trees? I don't think so!" Iris said cockily, jumping up to a branch equally as high as Cilan's. "First one to Wellspring Cave wins! Only one rule: you can't touch the ground. Got it?"

"No problem!" Cilan said, getting into a jumping stance.

"Ready?"

"Set?"

"GO!" They both yelled at the same time, jumping to the next tree and the next at lightning speed.

"Huh? Hey! Wait up!" Ash said, sprinting between the trees below them. He was struggling just to keep them in sight, let alone keep up with them.

Meanwhile, up above, Cilan and Iris were neck and neck, neither of them wanting to lose.

"You might as well give up!" Cilan yelled. "You may be good, but there's no way you'll beat a Simisage!"

"Just sit back and watch me!" Iris said determinedly. Both of them picked up the pace. Seeing this, Ash grew worried.

"Guys! Be…careful…!" He yelled, running out of breath.

Iris was focusing on nothing but the rhythm of her swings. _Branch, airtime, branch, airtime,_ she thought to herself. Suddenly, the next branch she grabbed snapped under her weight. Before she could even get out of her rhythmic thoughts, she was falling fast.

"Iris!" Ash yelled in horror. It barely registered in Iris' mind, however, because all she could see was the ground closing in on her.

Just as suddenly as she started falling, she stopped. _I hit the ground. That's it. I stopped falling. _She thought to herself, eyes squeezed shut. _But…nothing hurts…_ Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw the ground still a good forty feet away, going in and out of focus with every heartbeat. Straining her eyes, she looked back up and gasped at what she saw. Cilan had his hands clasped tight around her ankle, arms shaking under the pressure. She looked a little further up and saw his tail wrapped around a vine tighter than a vice grip, thorns fully extended and digging in as much as possible.

"No…way," Ash said in amazement, gazing at Iris hanging above the ground.

Cilan swung Iris over to another branch with a grunt and she landed on it safely. He swung back down to the ground and slumped against a tree, exhausted.

"That was amazing, Cilan!" Ash exclaimed, running up to him. "Who knew you could do that?!"

"Heh, thanks," Cilan chuckled, out of breath. Iris hopped down in front of him and knelt down.

"You… you saved my life, Cilan," She said in disbelief.

"It was nothing," he said, winded. "Are you all right?" Iris nodded slowly.

"I'm just fine. It's you I'm worried about," Iris said, concerned.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," He said with a sigh, "Hey Ash, I guess you were right. Tails aren't all that bad." He gave a weak smile and let his head roll to one side, closing his eyes. Iris and Ash glanced at each other, and then back at Cilan. Now was a good time for a break, anyway.

* * *

After their short break and a bit more walking, the group finally came out of the trees to the path just in front of Wellspring Cave.

"Finally! We made it through!" Iris said, relieved.

"Yup, and I know just where we are now. Striaton City is that way!" Cilan said, pointing down the path.

"Thank goodness!" Ash said. "I'm ready for a nap, definitely!"

"It's not even one o'clock! Although I suppose little kids _do _need their naptime." Iris said with a shrug.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ash said, annoyed, and Cilan chuckled.

"Well then I guess we should get go—"

"Oh my gosh, a Simisage!" Cilan was interrupted by a scream from the other direction. The three of them turned and saw a brunette girl dressed from head to toe in blue. She was wearing a long, flowing white scarf and a hat tilted to the side that was covered in large, colorful buttons. Cilan quickly shut his mouth and hoped that she hadn't heard him talking.

"Hey you! Is that your Simisage?" the girl asked excitedly.

"Uh…yeah," Ash answered awkwardly, "Why?"

She pointed a finger in Ash's face. "Because I'm aiming to battle and win against one of every type of Pokémon there is, and grass is my last one!" She explained quickly. "Uh…oh yeah! My name's Sonja, by the way."

"Hi, I'm Ash," Ash greeted.

"My name's Iris!" Iris chimed in.

"(I'm Pikachu!)" Pikachu said with a smile.

"(And I'm Axew,)" Axew said, poking his head out of Iris' hair.

"And as you already know, this is Simisage," Ash said, gesturing to Cilan. Cilan smiled and waved a little.

"Of course! It's the whole reason I stopped you guys! See, I wanna battle with your Simisage and reach my goal!" Sonja explained, grabbing a Pokéball off of her belt. "And this is the Pokémon I'm going to do it with. Seismitoad, come on out!" She tossed the Pokéball in the air and it popped open to reveal a towering blue toad-like creature. It smiled and growled in anticipation.

"Wow, what a Pokémon," Ash said, gazing in wonder at the Seismitoad. It smiled back at him.

_I'm supposed to battle that?!_ Cilan thought to himself.

"So what do you say? You ready to be the one to help me reach my goal?" Sonja said, putting a hand on her hip.

"Uh…team meeting!" Ash and Iris called at the same time, quickly pulling Cilan along with them far enough down the path that Sonja was out of earshot.

"Huh?" Sonja said, cocking her head.

"Did you see the size of that Pokémon?!" Cilan exclaimed as they huddled up. "No way I'll be able to beat it!"

"But you have a huge advantage over a ground and water type," Iris pointed out.

"Yeah, but I've only mastered three of my moves," Cilan replied, "Do you really think that's enough?"

"Two out of three are grass type, which seems like a pretty good matchup to me," Ash added. "It's a chance for you to experience a real battle, too!"

"Come on!" Sonja moaned impatiently. "Are you going to battle or not?"

"I think you should go for it." Ash said confidently.

"Yeah, me too," Iris agreed.

"All right, if you're sure," Cilan said with a sigh. Ash and Iris nodded and they all hurried back over to Sonja.

"Sorry about that," Ash apologized, "Ready to go?"

"Oh yeah!" Sonja said happily as they all took their places. "I'll let you have the first move, Ash."

"Thanks! All right, Simisage, use Vine Whip!" Ash called out, secretly hoping that Cilan remembered how to use it. Cilan lunged at Seismitoad and drew out his vines, ready to attack. Even as the vines came down powerfully on Seismitoad, it didn't budge an inch. "Huh? That should have done major damage!" Ash exclaimed, confused.

"Ha! You won't tarnish Seismitoad's huge defense with such a low-power move!" Sonja said intensely.

"(That's right!)" Seismitoad bellowed.

_Uh oh, this could be bad…_Cilan thought to himself.

"Our turn now! Seismitoad, use Hyper Voice!" Sonja commanded. Seismitoad sucked in a huge amount of air and released it as an ear-splitting screech. Cilan, Ash, and Iris all grabbed their ears as the damaging sound wave rushed over them.

"Brick Break!" Ash yelled as loud as he could over the Hyper Voice. Cilan charged through the sound waves and delivered a powerful chop to Seismitoad's head, stopping the Hyper Voice, but barely damaging Seismitoad itself.

"You really think that's enough? Bulldoze!" Sonja countered. Seismitoad charged headlong into Cilan, sending him flying backwards, sprawled out on the ground in front of Ash.

"Ci-Uh, Simisage!" Ash called worriedly, watching Cilan struggling to his feet. "Try SolarBeam now!"

"I can't allow that! Seismitoad, Rain Dance, quick!" Sonja ordered. Seismitoad looked toward the sky and its body flared with a blue aura for a moment. A mini rainstorm appeared over the battle field, even as Cilan was charging up his SolarBeam.

"Now use Drain Punch!" Sonja called. Seismitoad jumped forward at lightning speed, slamming a glowing fist into Cilan's side, effectively stopping the SolarBeam. The few bumps and bruises Seismitoad had were healed by the energy absorbed through the Drain Punch, restoring it to full health.

"Huh? Where did that extra speed come from?" Ash wondered aloud.

"You see, my Seismitoad's ability is Swift Swim, so its speed increases when it rains. Not bad, huh?" Sonja explained with a cocky smile.

Ash scowled. _Seismitoad's defense is so high that it takes almost no damage from Vine Whip and Brick Break, and as long as it's raining, SolarBeam is useless! What do I do? _He thought to himself.

"This doesn't look good…" Iris mumbled to herself. Suddenly, Cilan stood up tall, ignoring the pain from his bruises. Staring determinedly into Seismitoad's face, he raised up his right hand.

"S-Simisage, what are you…?" Ash asked. The next moment, a large, glowing-green sphere of energy appeared in Cilan's hand. He let out a cry and whipped the sphere in Seismitoad's direction. It slammed into Seismitoad powerfully, knocking it back a few feet.

"Energy Ball! He did it!" Iris exclaimed. As Seismitoad lost its concentration, the rain stopped.

"Wow! Way to go, Simisage!" Ash called and Cilan grinned at him. Ash glanced over at the dizzy Seismitoad and noticed a lingering field of green energy. _That lowered its special defense! _Ash thought happily. _Which means…_

"All right! Finish this up with SolarBeam!" Ash called and Cilan began absorbing sunlight.

"Gah! Seismitoad, uh, do something!" Sonja yelled frantically.

"(It's your job to _tell _me what to do!)" Seismitoad retorted, glancing back at Sonja. The next thing it saw was a blinding yellow beam of sunlight slamming into its belly. It fell heavily onto its back, out cold with swirls in its eyes.

"Seismitoad is unable to battle! Ash and Simisage are the winners!" Iris cried excitedly.

"Yeah! Great job, Simisage!" Ash said as Cilan jumped in the air happily.

"Seismitoad, return," Sonja said sadly as she recalled her Pokémon. "You should have been able to take that! I guess we'll just have to find another grass type to battle…"

"Stop right there! Don't say another word!" Cilan said, putting his hand up.

"Huh?" Sonja asked, confused.

"It's evaluation time!" Cilan cried, straightening his bow tie and snapping his fingers. "Sonja! It's clear that you and Seismitoad have an excellent recipe for teamwork—_if _things are going your way. As soon as you started losing the battle, all of your teamwork vanished. The key is to trust in your partner every moment of the battle, and savor every one of those moments as well! Only then can your blend be truly unstoppable." Sonja just stared at Cilan, wide eyed. Ash blinked in shock and Iris facepalmed. "I, uh…Simisage?" Cilan said sheepishly. _Idiot! What was I thinking?!_

"Waaaaahhh! Talking Pokémoooon!" Sonja screamed in fear as she took off down the path the same direction she had come from. All three of them chuckled as they watched her run out of sight.

"That was…not the best idea," Ash said as he and Iris walked over to Cilan.

"It just kinda slipped out," Cilan explained, rubbing the back of his head.

"At least she didn't offer to buy you," Iris said and all three of them laughed.

"A-Anyway, let's get back on the road," Cilan suggested, "We'll be in Striaton City in no time."

* * *

Finally in Striaton City, the three trainers made a beeline for the gym, passing by the gardens, the Pokémon Center, and the tall apartment buildings on their way through the cobblestone streets. They slowed their pace as they came to the gym's entrance, stopping at the wooden front doors.

"You ready?" Ash asked determinedly. Cilan nodded and pulled on the door's handle, but it wouldn't budge.

"Huh? Locked?" Cilan said, confused. "It's the middle of the day! The gym should be open to both challengers and customers right now!" Ash stepped forward and tried the door as well, but he had no luck either.

"Hey! Anyone in there? We'd like to speak with the gym leaders!" He yelled, knocking on the heavy door. A moment later, an older, white-haired man in a suit answered it.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid the Striaton Gym is closed until further notice," the man said in an impatient manor. He had opened the door just wide enough for him to see out.

_Until further notice? Ugh, can't those two handle __anything__ without me around? _Cilan thought to himself.

"Pssst, Cilan, who is this guy?" Iris whispered.

"He's part of the restaurant staff. I have no idea why he won't let us in, though." Cilan replied quietly.

"But sir, we need to talk with Chili and Cress! It's an emergency!" Ash insisted.

"Masters Chili and Cress have been locked up by themselves for three days now. They simply refuse to come out! And Master Cilan is away on a journey at the moment," the man explained.

_They locked themselves up? Why? _Cilan wondered.

"Master Cilan?" Iris said in disbelief.

"Heh, butlers," Cilan explained with a shrug.

"Please sir, you have to understand. We're friends of Chili and Cress. I know they'd be fine with us coming to see them," Ash pleaded.

"Well," the man said with a sigh, "All right. I'll look the other way and let you in. But good luck getting them out of that room! I've tried and tried but every time I'm ignored!"

"I have a feeling we can get them to talk," Iris said as she, Ash and Cilan entered the gym. Once they were out of the man's sight, Cilan took the lead.

"Our apartment is this way," Cilan said, "I'm sure that's where they're hiding."

"Wait, so you're saying you three live in the gym?" Ash asked.

"Yes…why are you surprised? Many leaders live in their gyms." Cilan answered.

"It's just that…if your parents have enough money to buy a vacation home in a place like Undella Town, I figured you'd have some big mansion to live in here," Ash explained.

"Oh, well, we did grow up in a large house on the outskirts of the city, but when we became the gym leaders, we had to support ourselves. A free room in the gym is much easier to handle than a huge house," Cilan replied.

"I understand," Ash said as they went into a long, somewhat narrow hallway. Cilan stopped in front of a door on the right.

"Well, this is it," He said, "It's not much, but it's ours." Ash tried the doorknob, but as expected, it was locked.

"Hello? Chili? Cress? Are you guys in there?" Ash said, knocking on the door. After a moment, there was no answer, so he tried again. "Guys, please, if you're in there, we need your help!"

"We're not he—umph!" Chili's muffled voice came through the door.

"Quiet, you imbecile!" It was Cress' voice this time. Ash, Cilan and Iris all perked up when they heard them.

"So you are here! Open the door, come on! We really need your help!" Ash begged. Once again, they received nothing but silence in return.

"Why in the world won't they open this door?" Iris asked dejectedly.

"Chili! Cress! Why are you hiding? You should be ready for challengers right now!" Cilan yelled at the door.

"Hey, that sounded like Cilan!" Chili's voice came again.

"That's right! And this is my house too! So you better open this door right now!" Cilan said threateningly.

"Gah! What should we do?" Cress asked, sounding very nervous. Ash growled and moved to the other side of the hallway.

"You guys have three seconds to open up or else I'm coming in myself! Three!" He said, getting into a charging position.

"Ash, what are you doing?!" Iris asked frantically.

"Two!" Ash called. There was a general sound of panic coming from the other side of the door at this point.

"Do it, Ash!" Cilan encouraged him.

"One!" Ash cried, charging full speed at the locked door. However, a split second before Ash made impact, the door flew open. He tumbled inside and fell painfully on the carpeted floor.

"Ow ow ow…!" He moaned, rubbing his head. As he gained his bearings, he took a quick look around the room he had fallen into. He saw a low coffee table with a three-person couch behind it and a comfy-looking lounge chair on either end. There was a small TV resting on a wooden chest across the room from the table and chairs. There were small flower pots in various places throughout the room as well.

Last but not least, he saw two monkey Pokémon—one red and one blue—staring at him in shock. They each wore a bow tie that matched the color of their fur.

* * *

OHOHOHOHO! Cliff hangeeeerr! Sorry about that~ So... did you guys see that coming? I feel like it might have been a bit predictable, but what do I know? I'm just the author! XD All right, that's all for now. I hope you liked it. Have a good beginning of 2013, all! For the love all that is good, PLEASE, leave a review? Thank you!


	9. Chapter 8

Readers.

I am so sorry, readers. I used to think a month was I long time between updates, but now I've made you wait for a month and a half for an update that's not even that long. I AM SO SORRY! The thing is, I have good reasons for it! First of all, I made a Tumblr page to help get my fanfics known! The URL is the same as my pen name: pokemon-connoisseur-lucario. Followers are much appreciated and you'll get extras and you'll know as soon as my stories are updated ^_^

Second reason: I've gotten like six ideas for new stories that I've been working on as well as this one :D I'm almost done with a one-shot that I should have posted pretty soon. I really like it so far, but you'll just have to wait and see to know what it's about ;) And now, enough with ranting, on with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"Ahhhhhh!" Ash screamed in surprise, jumping up from the floor. As he got a better look at the Simisear and Simipour standing in front of him, he noticed the Simisear had slightly darker red fur, red eyes, and a messy hairstyle. The Simipour's eyes were not closed like usual, but its dark blue "bangs" were lopped over to one side, covering one of its deep blue eyes completely.

"Y-You're…!" Ash stuttered, backing away slowly. Cilan and Iris also hurried through the door.

"Ash! Are you ok?" Cilan asked, looking at Ash worriedly.

"Cilan?!" The Simisear and Simipour asked at the same time. Cilan turned and gasped as he saw the two other Pokémon.

"Chili?! Cress?!" He exclaimed.

"You too?!" All three of the brothers asked at once, pointing at each other.

"I thought it was only Cilan who had turned into a Pokémon!" Iris exclaimed.

"Well obviously not!" Cress said breathlessly.

"(Woah, what's going on out here?)" Cress' Panpour asked as he and Pansear came into the living room from a hallway that led to the bedrooms.

"(Visitors?)" Pansear asked.

"It's Cilan!" Chili informed them.

"(What? No way!)" They both said at the same time, running over to the rest of the group. Cilan had resorted to pacing the floor.

"This isn't happening. This is _not_ happening!" He chanted to himself. Iris was attempting to comfort Cilan, while Chili, Cress, Pansear, and Panpour all tried to talk over each other in confusion. Within seconds the chatter grew deafening, and Ash had had enough.

"Everyone, sit down and SHUT UP!" He yelled.

* * *

Finally, everyone had calmed down enough to sit around the coffee table. Cilan, Chili, and Cress sat on the couch, while Ash and Iris each sat in a lounge chair. Pansage was explaining the situation to Pansear and Panpour, who listened intently.

"Now then," Ash said with a sigh, "Chili, Cress, you need to explain to us exactly what happened. How did you two become Pokémon?"

"Well," Cress began, "It all started three days ago. We were just getting ready to close up for the night when Chili and I felt a sharp pain in our stomachs."

"After a moment, we couldn't take it anymore, and we both passed out," Chili explained.

"You're kidding!" Iris exclaimed.

"That's exactly what happened to Cilan!" Ash added.

"Yeah, not fun," Cilan said, "Anyway, continue."

"When we came to, we were back in our bedroom, surrounded by the restaurant staff. They were all really worried about us, considering we blacked out right in front of them. I mean, who wouldn't be, right?" Chili said with a chuckle. "Eventually we convinced them we were fine and they all went home. We went to bed soon after that."

"And the rest is history," Cress said with a shrug, "The next morning we woke up early and found ourselves like this. We didn't know what to do, so we just locked ourselves in so no one could see us."

"Locked up in here for three days, huh? That would explain the bigger-than-usual mess." Cilan said disdainfully, looking around at the dirty carpets and scattered clothes.

"Hah, if you think this is messy, you should see the bedr-ow!" Chili said as Cress elbowed him in the ribs with a nervous chuckle.

"Uh...huh. Didn't you guys get bored in here for so long?" Ash asked, changing the subject.

"Not really! I had Pansear teach me Fire Punch!" Chili said happily, pointing to a scorched spot on the wall.

"That's right!" Pansear chimed in with a smile.

"Yeah, and _I _had to put out the fire with Water Gun. It wasn't so fun after that, was it?" Cress said with passive anger.

"Oh come on! You know it was," Chili snickered and Cress rolled his eyes. Ash and Iris chuckled at their bickering. Cilan smiled, but was too deep in thought to actually listen.

_It's not just me. That means there's got to be some kind of connection here. It all points to what I had originally suspected...to them...no, to him... _He thought worriedly. Just then, Ash yawned loudly.

"I'm still tired out," Ash said sleepily, sliding down in his chair.

"That's right, the little kid never got his nap!" Iris said mockingly and Ash shot her a glare.

"You guys can stay in our room tonight," Cilan said, "There are bunk beds in there that should work nicely, and you can unpack your backpacks if you want."

"Uh, maybe you should make that the guest bedroom," Cress suggested, smiling awkwardly. Ash and Iris just went along with it.

"Great. Pansage, Pansear, Panpour, can you show them the way?" Cilan asked, turning towards their trio of Pokémon.

"(Sure!)" they all replied. They lead Ash and Iris down the hallway and through a door on the right, leaving the Striaton brothers alone in the living room.

"You guys?" Cilan said after a moment. "I've been wanting to ask you something privately."

"Sure Cilan, what is it?" Cress asked, his and Chili's demeanors turning serious.

"These past few nights, I've been having dreams about the time we spent...there." Cilan explained.

"You too?" Chili asked. "Cress and I had the same thing happen to us. Weird coincidence, huh?"

"I'm not so sure it's a coincidence anymore. What's happened over the past few days and the fact that you two had the same dreams as me have confirmed my suspicions," Cilan said gravely, "They definitely have something to do with what's happening to us. I'm afraid that perhaps _he's_ returned."

"T-That can't be," Cress said shakily, "He disappeared! None of us knew where he went, not even N!"

"It's the only explanation! And as much as you don't want to accept it, you know it's true." Cilan said and Chili and Cress nodded.

"Ok, so what are we supposed to do about it?" Chili asked. "Even if we think we know how it happened, that doesn't change the fact that no one knows where he is."

"Right," Cilan said with a sigh, "and we can't find him without help. We're going to have to tell Ash and Iris."

"As much as I hate it, you're right," Cress admitted.

"Ok. But I'm not going to be the one to explain it!" Chili stated. A moment later, Ash and Iris returned with the brothers' Pokémon. Both of them had their shoes off, and Ash had removed his hat.

"Man, I feel better already!" Ash said, stretching his arms.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to have a real bed to sleep in for a change," Iris said as she and Ash took their seats once again.

Cress gave Cilan a nudge. "Go on, it's better to get it over with." He insisted quietly. Cilan gulped, nervous to see what their reactions would be. They had never told anyone about what had happened-not even their own partner Pokémon.

"Hey, Ash, Iris," Cilan began, "We have something to tell you."

"Huh? Something to tell us? What is it?" Ash asked.

"Is something wrong?" Iris questioned, noticing the brothers' solemn looks.

"Well...we may know how we were turned into Pokémon." Cilan said.

"Really?" Ash exclaimed. "That's great! Now maybe we can get you back to normal!"

"It is great! So, what happened?" Iris asked. Cilan nervously took a deep breath.

"You remember a few weeks back when we saved those Pokémon from those Team Plasma grunts, right?" Cilan asked and Iris and Ash nodded. "Well, their leader's name—" he lifted his head to look Ash and Iris in the eye— "is Ghetsis."

"Ghetsis?" Ash asked. Even though he had never heard the name before, it still spooked him a little somehow.

"That's right. He's always claimed to the public that he's concerned for the well being of captured Pokémon, and that's why he tries to free them in any way he can," Cilan explained, tensing up, "But that's nothing more than a dirty lie. He doesn't care about the Pokémon's well being at all. He only wants their power for Team Plasma so they can take over the Unova region, then the whole world."

"No way!" Iris exclaimed. "What an awful thing to do! Pokémon aren't tools of conquest!"

"I know, but Ghetsis is bent on taking control. He's willing to go to great lengths to accomplish his goal..." Cilan trailed off shakily, unsure how to explain from there. Pansage looked at his trainer, concerned. There weren't many things that could make Cilan look so dejected, so Pansage knew something must be really wrong.

"...I have a few questions," Ash said, sitting up in his chair a bit, "How does all of this have anything at all to do with you three becoming Pokémon? How do you know all of this, anyway?"

"Because..." Cilan said, shaking like a leaf, "Because we're former Team Plasma members!" He finally spat out.

"W-What?!" Iris exclaimed in shock.

"You mean you're with them?!" Ash jumped up from his chair and pounded a fist on the coffee table. "How could you?" Ash yelled angrily at Cilan.

"Former, _former!_" Cilan repeated frantically.

"Who cares? Once a member, always a member! That's what I think!" Ash growled. "I trusted you! And you, a Pokémon Connoisseur of all people, should understand the value of the relationship between people and Pokémon!"

"(That's right!)" Pikachu said angrily, jumping up to Ash's shoulder. "(I wish I had never talked with you that night!)"

"Believe what you want! The real truth is we _never_ want to return to that hell hole," Cilan said bitterly, hanging his head. Ash's expression softened slightly, and he looked to Chili and Cress as well. Their faces didn't betray Cilan's argument, but neither of them had the courage to look Ash and Iris in the eye. Iris simply sat there in silence, unsure of what to say. Axew squeaked and ducked into her hair.

As to the brothers' partner Pokémon, they were simply speechless. They knew very little of Team Plasma except that they were considered to be very bad people, but their trainers seemed like very good people. They had never mistreated them or anything of the sort. As they were thinking, Cilan began speaking again.

"The past few nights, Chili, Cress, and I have been having dreams about our time in the ranks of Team Plasma. That's why we suspect they have something to do with us becoming Pokémon," Cilan explained, "Everyone in Team Plasma knew Ghetsis had secret projects, but no one knew what they were. It's possible that this is the result of one of those projects." Cilan said, motioning to his brothers and himself.

"The problem is, Ghetsis disappeared a while back. No one at all knows where he is," Cress said, finally speaking up.

"We need your help if we're going to find him..." Chili explained sheepishly.

Ash scoffed and fell back into his chair. "As if we'd help you now!"

"But Ash! That's what we've been working for! They're our friends and now that we have a chance to help them we need to take it!" Iris pointed out.

"Friends?" Ash said in disbelief. "How could Team Plasma members be our friends, past or present?"

"Because we never even wanted to be in Team Plasma!" Cilan exclaimed desperately.

"Huh?" Ash said, confused.

"We...we were tricked into joining. We never knew what we were getting ourselves into," Cilan said, "and if you'll just give me a chance to explain, I'm sure you'll understand."

Ash looked over to Iris, then closed his eyes to think. "...All right," he said after a moment, opening his eyes, "But it better be a heck of an explanation."

Cilan gave a slight smile, then turned serious once again. "You see, it all started when..."

* * *

And that's where I stop for now! The next chapter will be devoted to Cilan's explanation, but it'll be a little more in depth than what Ash and Iris would hear. Also, I was going to mention that my stories are now powered by Google Docs/Google Drive! I've found that it's a much less risky alternative to Word that still has all of the same features. The spacing is a little screwy, though, so sorry for any problems with that. So, follow me on Tumblr, like the Facebook page, check your alerts, read and review, and I'll see you next time!


	10. Chapter 9

...Readers...if you're still around...I'M SO SORRY! What's it been, like two and a half months since an update?! Ugh I've been so BUSY. Homework everywhere, tests, projects, extracurricular stuff...then I discovered my undying love for Gravity Falls, I've finally started reading Ouran High School Host Club, Tumblr is the most distracting thing EVER, I've been working on other stories, and of course, writers' block! There's just no end! Once again, I'm truly sorry -w-' Although, speaking of new stories, I posted a brand new one-shot about two months ago! Chandelure's Flame! I'd appreciate very much it if you'd give it a read/review, if you haven't already. It is rated T though, so be warned if you're below that mark.

Onto this new chapter now! Like I said before, this is Cilan's rendition of how the Striaton Brothers became the Shadow Triad. This is all headcanon for me, and I think it makes sense...I don't know, it's what happened in this story, at least. This was the part I originally came up with, then the rest of the story just sort of sprang up around it. I THINK I remembered everything...ah, I'll explain in the next chapter if I forgot anything. Ask if you're not sure. Anyway, you've waited more than long enough! On with the story, finally!

* * *

**Chapter 9 (Cilan's POV)**

I don't remember much...maybe I never knew it at all...footsteps? Some sort of vehicle? Was that a voice? Whatever happened, my brothers and I were whisked away from our comfortable apartment in the Striaton Gym and dumped into a harsh white room in who knows where. Confused and unsure about what to do, I tried to remain calm as best as I could, but...who knew our lives would never be the same again?

The man called Ghetsis came and spoke to us in that dreadful room. He said that everything we had been taught about Pokemon was a lie; humans and Pokémon could never be friends. In the end, the brutality of humans calling themselves trainers would triumph over everything, and the balance of the world would be thrown into chaos. They say hindsight is twenty-twenty, but I never fully realized the truth of that statement until looking back at that moment...things would have been totally different if I had just not believed him against my own logic: my parents, my conscience, other gym leaders, believed anyone other than him...!

Far from realizing our mistake in joining his cause, Ghetsis lead Chili, Cress, and I out of the white room and into another, this one smaller and dark.

"You are to wear these clothes while operating with Team Plasma," Ghetsis told us, revealing three black full-body outfits, including masks with white wigs attached.

"Black? Really? I'd go with red, myself," Chili said, grinning ear to ear in the way only he can.

"_No arguments!_" Ghetsis boomed, causing Chili to cower back slightly and look at Ghetsis in confusion. Ghetsis relaxed a bit (I now realize he was attempting to prevent us from seeing his true nature), then said, "I mean, they must be this way. These are to conceal your identities from trainers who might try to stop you outside of Team Plasma operations. We want to stay as secretive as possible until we're fully ready to start the destruction of the trainers' power."

"Makes as much sense as anything else that's happened today," Cress commented as we each took a black suit. Ghetsis grinned deviously.

"From this day forth...you three are...the Shadow Triad."

From then on, Ghetsis would periodically call for us to come and assist him or the grunts with, well, basically odd jobs. Moving equipment, transportation, general assembly and headcounts, seemingly random things that we never fully understood the purpose of. Our work seemed harmless enough, yet we still kept it secret from absolutely everyone on account of Ghetsis' orders. No one knew; not our parents, not the restaurant staff, not even our own partner Pokemon. Slipping into the relatively comfortable routine of behind-the-scenes work, I began to believe that we made the right decision in joining Team Plasma. Ghetsis was saving us in his own way, and that was saving us from a life of mistreatment of Pokémon. Naturally, I was ecstatic that we were making a real difference in the Unova region-possibly the world! Oh, what an illusion I was under...

A few months into our affiliation with the mysterious group, the work began to change...it changed so much...

It was around that time that we were first introduced to N. He was the true "king" of Team Plasma, even though his adoptive father Ghetsis seemed to be running the show. In our brief meeting, we were suited up in our disguises, so it was really a one-sided introduction.

"N, this is the Shadow Triad. It will become a pivotal part in the later stages of our plan," Ghetsis introduced us, once again putting us together as one single entity, not even individuals. N never looked us in the eyes, but only nodded slightly then continued along with Ghetsis. Something about this N character made me feel at peace, yet intensely uneasy at the same time. I'm still unable to perfectly place this unique and strange flavor, even to this day.

We began to be called further and further away from Striaton City, slipping away only in the dead of night in our dark suits, long after everyone had left the gym and Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour had fallen asleep. Then came the times that really caused me to begin doubting our choices-we started the liberation process. Liberation...what we did was a disgrace to the word...I'll just come out and say it: we were downright thieves. We began persuading people to release their Pokemon, and those who refused were persuaded by force. For these "persuasions," we were occasionally loaned three Pokémon from Team Plasma's stock-a Lilligant for me, a Basculin for Cress, and a Heatmor for Chili. These Pokemon seemed heartless. They had a business relationship with everyone they came in contact with, unless of course you were an enemy. In that case, watch out.

Realizing that we were getting into something very serious, I became nervous and paranoid, especially during gym battles. Chili and Cress were able to shake it off pretty well, but most days, I was just a mess. I always remembered one trainer in particular who stood out to me for some reason. A young, brunette girl with an Oshawott as her partner Pokémon. Her attitude in battle was just amazing. There was an air of confidence about her that was simply inexplicable. I lost relatively quickly to her, yet I knew we would be seeing her again, somehow...

We were taking Pokémon from regular people, not thugs and criminals like Ghetsis had made them out to be. Every time another Pokémon was released, a little voice in the back of my head kept saying it was wrong and that we shouldn't be doing this. Chili and Cress felt the same way, I could just tell. However, Ghetsis' reassurance could always talk louder than my conscience. The worst part of it was...I...I actually began to enjoy the thrill of taking others' Pokémon...I wasn't sure why, though. It was completely against my nature, yet it felt so good...and I hated myself for it. I hated myself every second!

One night, we were called all the way to Aspertia Town. It was a big move-if we could take out the soon-to-be gym leader's Pokemon, we could prevent a huge amount of trainers from gaining power. That night...that night was important for everyone. I saw something I wish I could forget, yet I'm glad I saw it at the same time. I watched as a grunt stole a little girl's Purrloin-not an uncommon sight anymore-then violently kicked her away, most likely injuring her severely. The little girl's brother had been trying his best to defend her, but now he could do nothing but cry with her, both of them gasping for air and scarred by what had just happened. I couldn't take it. We weren't just stealing Pokémon anymore; he were hurting people, kids at that. We had destroyed a child's special relationship with her Purrloin. I blacked out from the shock, and when I awoke, I had awoken from more than just unconsciousness. I was free of Ghetsis' lies and word-twisting, and there was no way I was going back.

* * *

**Normal POV**

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on just a minute," Ash interrupted, "I have to know one thing before you go on."

"Ok, what?" Cilan asked, confused.

"Is that night the reason you're afraid of Purrloin?" Ash asked a little more eagerly than the mood called for. Cilan recoiled from the shock.

"Huh? N-No, that's not it! Please, don't remind me of it!" Cilan pleaded.

"Wait, so you mean he hasn't told you what happened?" Chili butted in and Ash shook his head no.

"Heh, then you'll never get him to talk," Chili snickered and Ash sat back in his chair, pouting.

"A-Anyway..." Cilan said, about to resume his explanation.

* * *

**Cilan's POV**

"You saw what happened, I know you did," I said to my brothers. We were back in the privacy of our dorm in Plasma Headquarters. "How can you ignore the fact that we're hurting innocent people any longer?"

"Innocent? I know_ you_ heard Ghetsis! Those people are brutes who mistreat and hurt their Pokémon!" Chili retaliated.

"Chili, you know in your heart what we're doing is wrong. Ghetsis has been lying to us," I continued, "I don't know about you, but I can't stand helping him out one more second."

"But..." Chili said weakly, finding it hard to accept the fact that we had been deceived for the past few months.

"You're right, Cilan," Cress said, stepping forward. He had been quietly observing Chili and I. "I won't help that man any longer. We've suppressed our own logic long enough."

"Cress?! How can you renounce Ghetsis just like that?" Chili exclaimed.

"I renounced him long ago, and the same is true for you, Chili. We knew we were being deceived this whole time, but we were too scared to acknowledge it. As much as it hurts, accept the fact that we _cannot_ keep destroying people's partnerships with their Pokémon." Cress replied, and a pang of guilt and realization flashed across Chili's face.

"...Okay. Okay, you're both right," Chili finally admitted, "We won't help Team Plasma's cause any longer. But it's not like we can just quit...remember Ghetsis' promise of 'less desirable circumstances'?"

"Don't worry," I said, smiling in spite of myself, "I've got a plan."

While it was true that quitting wasn't an option, that didn't mean we had to keep up our regular work. We quietly counteracted Ghetsis' plans in any way we could-slipping trainers' Pokémon back to them in secret, stopping a "liberation" in progress...anything we could think of to slow Team Plasma's destruction of Pokémon partnerships.

While our plan did help, it was nowhere near enough to shut down Team Plasma, and Ghetsis eventually had enough power and resources to attack Unova's central symbol of Pokémon power: the Pokémon League. I knew Ghetsis' power was great, but I never knew how great until that day.

Utilizing N's special ability to communicate with Pokémon, Team Plasma was able to successfully summon the legendary Zekrom to the Pokémon League, as well as raise an entire castle in the place of the Champion's chambers. I was in awe of the power demonstrated there, yet also revolted that it was being used for the wrong reasons. All seemed lost at that point. Who could have stood up to a legendary Dragon Pokémon combined with the power of all of Team Plasma?

I got my answer soon: the trainer who had beaten me in the Striaton Gym what seemed like so long ago. She was now armed with a powerful Pokémon team and her partner Samurott, and I learned her name was White. Chili, Cress and I watched from the shadows as she skillfully subdued Zekrom's power using the other legendary Dragon, Reshiram. All but beaten and betrayed by his own adoptive son, Ghetsis made one final stand against White, but the damage had been done. Ghetsis was defeated.

The rest of Team Plasma had been held off by the collective effort of the other Unova Gym Leaders. We feared that our secret might have been put in danger based on the fact that we were the only leaders not to show up, but we were able to keep it under wraps by saying we hadn't received the word of what was happening in time. After that, N left on a journey of his own to rethink his truths and ideals, and Ghetsis went missing. With their king gone and no leader to speak of, the rest of Team Plasma disbanded and scattered, and that was the end of it. Or so I thought.

Now, of course, this is where the part you know about comes into play. Our encounter with that small team of Plasma grunts a few weeks ago was the first I learned of their reformation. As we were fighting them off, a grunt who had seen me without my disguise once before recognized me. I had hoped he would keep quiet, but I'm assuming he reported my resistance to...whoever runs Team Plasma now, or what's left of it. It could be just a rag-tag group of stubborn grunts who want to keep their cause alive, but I fear it's worse than that.

Which finally brings us to how I believe Chili, Cress and I were turned into Pokémon. I believe Ghetsis has returned and utilized one of his secret projects to do this to us. Whether it's a type of punishment for resistance or a part of something greater, I'm not sure. All I know for certain is this: if Ghetsis is back, it spells trouble for us, all of Unova, and quite possibly the entire world.

* * *

**Normal POV**

All was quiet as Ash and Iris took in the impact of Cilan's story. It had grown quite dark outside, and the lively streets of Striaton City calmed down as the street lights flickered on. After a moment, Ash stood up slowly and wordlessly. He made his way down the hall, entered his temporary sleeping quarters, and shut the door firmly. The rest of his company stared after him, unsure what to make of the situation.

"Guess we won't be seeing him until tomorrow," Chili said after a while, searching for a way to end the silence, but it persisted longer still. Finally, Iris stood up as well.

"I-Iris?" Cilan said, stopping her.

****"...I'll have to think about it," was all she said before she followed Ash's path to the bedroom, softly shutting the door behind her. The brothers let out a mutual exhale of bated breath before turning to their partner Pokémon, who had been quietly taking in the story sitting on the floor the whole time.

"Pansage?" Cilan said, leaning over to see his Pokémon, Chili and Cress doing the same. After a moment, all three of the Pokémon smiled and nodded.

"(We all believe your story,)" Pansear assured them.

"(That's right. We may not know much about this Team Plasma, but it sounds like an honest story to me,)" Panpour added, "(Don't you think, Pansage?)"

"(Of course,)" Pansage said, "(You three are like family to us. We'd never give up on you.)"

"That's truly great to hear!" Cilan said, relieved.

"Thank you for believing in us," Cress said with gratitude.

"You just can't ask for better partners that Pansear, Pansage, and Panpour, can ya?" Chili said with a grin.

The brothers returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs for the night, then took their places to sleep on the couch and lounge chairs. Thoughts of Ash and Iris' opinions were running through their minds. None of them were sure about how this night had gone for them, but they hoped it would be clearer in the morning...

* * *

Yes! Chapter 9 is done! So happy :D Ok, I will certainly try to get the next chapter up faster. Maybe we can get this thing finished by the time summer's over, huh? As always, thanks for reading, and a special thanks to everyone for enduring my long update gaps... ^_^;; As for the next chapter...you'll just have to wait and see ;D Follow me on Tumblr, like the Facebook page, follow/favorite, and/or review! (Reviews are THE MOST APPRECIATED THINGS IN THE WORLD THANK YOU) Thanks for the read! See you all soon!


	11. Chapter 10

Hi there, readers! A month and a half for an update this time...well, it's a whole month shorter than last time! Still, sorry it took me a while.

I knew I would forget to mention at least one thing in the last chapter, so here's what I left out: 1. The Purrloin Cilan watched the grunt steal was given to the Shadow Triad to raise and train, as you might recall from BW2. Adds to the impact a little, no? 2. Team Plasma had an Adamant Orb, a Lustrous Orb, and a Griseous Orb at their disposal if the opportunity to use them was to present itself, so Cilan, Chili and Cress secured them secretly and gave them to White for safe keeping (as you might recall from Black and White, on Marvelous Bridge) as part of their "counteract Ghetsis" plan. I THINK that's all I forgot!

Okay, this is turning into a long author's note, so I'll move it along. This chapter...you'll just have to read and see. Thank you SO much for reading! I hope you enjoy it! Reviews are wonderful, and so are you x3 On with the story!

* * *

_They couldn't be my friends..._Ash thought to himself. _They're from Team Plasma. That makes the decision easy, right? But...they don't seem like bad people..._

_"...elp..."_

_...all those times they helped us out, especially Cilan...could they really have just been faking it all along...?_

_"...Ir...help...!"_

_It's getting brighter...am I hearing things?_

"Ash, Iris! Help!"

_No, I'm not hearing things! That's...!_

Ash shot up in his bed and out of his sleepy daze, eyes darting about the room. He saw Pikachu and Axew in the dull gray daylight streaming through the blinds of the single window, who were awakened easily by the cries for help. He looked over to Iris' bed, and their sleepy but worried eyes met.

"That was Cilan!" Iris exclaimed. They hurriedly jumped out of their beds and ran to the living room, but were shocked to find it empty, the front door open and swinging on its hinges.

"What in the world? They're gone!" Iris said. Ash grew suspicious. He grabbed Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour's Pokéballs off of the coffee table. He brought them out and they yawned and stretched, just waking up. They were confused to see Ash releasing them instead of their trainers.

"Do you three know where your trainers are?" Ash asked accusingly. The three Pokémon were surprised to see Cilan, Chili and Cress gone and shook their heads no.

"Those cowards! I thought they'd at least face us today!" Ash said, scowling. He ran back into the bedroom and threw on his hat and jacket. "I'm going to find them! They can't have gotten far. Let's go, Pikachu," Ash said, hurrying out the front door and down the hallway, Pikachu in tow.

"H-Hey! Ash, wait!" Iris called after him, but he was long gone. Pansage, Pansear and Panpour were speechless, wondering why their trainers would have left. It wasn't like them...something was definitely wrong here.

The early morning sun hadn't brought about much change to the darkness that had completely dominated just moments ago, as there were dark, ominous storm clouds rolling in on the horizon. Ash quickly scanned the street as he came out of the gym, but didn't see any sign of the Striaton Brothers.

"No way. They just left! How could they have gotten away so fast?" Ash asked himself as he ran out into the desolate street, searching high and low for any sign of them.

"Ash!" Iris called as she joined Ash in the street, the brothers' partner Pokémon following close behind.

"What? Did you see them?" Ash questioned eagerly.

"No, Ash. Slow down and think for a second. Why would Cilan have been calling for our help if they wanted to sneak away?" Iris asked.

"I...I don't know! It's gotta be some kind of trick!" Ash replied, continuing his search.

"I don't think they're trying to flee. I think they're in trouble," Iris persisted, "Trust me on this, Ash."

"Trouble? From what?" Ash asked, turning to face Iris.

"Who knows? It's obvious that _someone's_ out to get them. Just look at what's happened over the past few days! Cilan's story, too!" Iris pointed out. Ash fell silent in consideration, then sighed deeply.

"...we have to find them either way. I'll decide after that," he said, "Come on, let's all split up and look around."

Four parties split up to search for the brothers: Ash's Tranquil, Iris' Emolga, Ash and Iris themselves, and the brothers' partner Pokémon. They searched the empty streets as best as they could, Pansage, Pansear and Panpour checking everywhere they could think of as a likely spot. Tranquil and Emolga could keep an eye on many areas at once from the air. Ash and Iris ran through the streets calling the brothers' names, but no one had any luck at all. Meanwhile, the wind was picking up and it began to drizzle.

"Not here either!" Iris said as she and Ash finished searching another street.

"Man! What did they do, leave town?" Ash asked with a sigh, out of breath from running up and down the streets. Just then, Ash's Tranquil cried out from above them.

"Tranquil! Did you find something?" Ash called, looking up at his bird Pokémon. Tranquil nodded and pointed with her beak towards an area filled with trees to the east.

"Gotcha. We'll catch up once we find Pansage and the others," Ash said and Tranquil flew off in the direction she had pointed. Ash and Iris were able to quickly locate Pansage, Pansear, Panpour and Emolga, and they hurried to the place where Tranquil had flown to.

Ash and Iris spotted Tranquil on the ground up ahead as they came through some trees. She was standing next to a patch of soft soil, staring intently at it.

"What did you find, Tranquil?" Ash asked, coming over to see for himself. "Oh!" he said, seeing a set of three-toed prints in the soft ground.

"Footprints," Iris said, looking now as well, "They look like they're from a Simisage."

"Pan pansage!" Pansage said excitedly as he, Pansear, and Panpour ran up to see them.

"Great job, Tranquil. Return!" Ash said as he put Tranquil back in her Pokéball.

"Based on these prints,"Iris said, walking in the same direction the footprints pointed, "Cilan walked this way, and then..."

"Right into the Dreamyard." Ash finished, a hint of dread in his voice. He walked up to stand beside Iris. They looked out over the area in front of them, with the broken ruins of the former research facility looming like a maze. In the sky above, lightning cracked and thunder boomed, and the rain came down harder. Pansear tried his best to keep the rain off the tuft of fur on his head, but to no avail.

"They must be in there somewhere," Ash said, starting forward into the rubble of the lab.

"There might be more footprints around here somewhere. Hurry, they'll get washed away!" Iris said, quickly following Ash to begin their search. The five of them fanned out over the area, running to catch any traces they could before the rain hid them.

"Find anything, Ash?" Iris called from near the center of the Dreamyard.

"Nothing yet!" Ash answered from the eastern side.

"Pan!" came the cries of the three monkey Pokémon, signaling their lack of success.

"Oh? Wait, guys! Come here, look!" Ash yelled, and the others hurried to where he was. He had discovered many footprints sheltered from the rain under an overhanging piece of concrete debris. They led to a mysterious opening in the ruins that dove underground.

"Where's that lead?" Iris asked as she joined Ash under the overhang.

"Who knows, but that's gotta be where Cilan, Chili, and Cress went," Ash said, glancing at the footprint-covered ground. "Come on, let's go see what this is all about." he said as he started into the opening in the ruins.

"Ash...!" Iris sighed, watching Ash's retreating figure being swallowed up as he proceeded into the dark hole. She debated whether or not she should follow him for a short time, but she pushed the foreboding feelings out of her mind as her curiosity got the better of her. She followed the Pokémon trainer's path, the three partner Pokémon continuing to follow behind.

Ash made his way through the dark tunnel, occasionally stumbling over the uneven ground. It steadily declined as he went deeper and deeper, until it finally opened up into a huge cavern deep beneath the surface. It was slightly brighter in this area thanks to a few cracks and crevices that bored all the way down from the surface. These openings trickled with rainwater, creating splashing that echoed throughout the high-ceilinged space.

"Wow," Ash breathed as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he looked around the cavern in awe, "Who knew this was down here...?"

Iris came through a moment later, ready to reprimand Ash for leaving without her, until she saw the enormity of the cavern as well.

"This place is huge!" Iris exclaimed.

"Paaan...!" the three monkey Pokémon mused, taking in the sights around them in amazement.

"But, this is a dead end...I think," Iris said, squinting her eyes in an attempt to see through the darkness, "The three of them have to be in here, but where?"

"You finally made it. I was beginning to wonder if you would figure it out," a voice suddenly boomed through the room, causing Ash and Iris to jump in surprise.

"What the heck was that?" Iris said shakily, tingling from the shock of the loud voice.

The next moment, the room was illuminated by spotlights around the perimeter of the space, and Ash and Iris shielded their eyes as the light washed over them. A string of lights ascending the far wall of the room flashed on as well, revealing an elevated stage-like structure protruding from that wall. A closer inspection of the now lighted room revealed that it had black tiled floors and smooth, dark metal walls. Two final spot beams flicked on near the top of the stage, revealing a tall man with pointed, graying green hair and one red mechanical eye. He was clothed in a long black robe-like garment with patterns that resembled eyes.

"Who are you?" Ash yelled in the man's direction. The man gave a pleased smile in return, which confused Ash and Iris even further.

"Oho, pardon my rudeness," the man said, faking courtesy, "Introductions must have slipped my mind, since I already know so much about _you_ two. My name is Ghetsis."

"Ghetsis," Iris repeated thoughtfully.

"It's you! You're the one Cilan told us about in his story!" Ash said, noticeably tensing up. "The leader of Team Plasma."

"Well aren't you the smart one," Ghetsis said, grinning down at Ash.

"What's a person like you doing here?" Iris demanded, anger rising in her voice.

"Oh, the usual. Regrouping, recruiting...testing," Ghetsis answered nonchalantly.

"Drop the nice guy act," Ash said, taking a step forward, "Since you're here, I was right, wasn't I? Cilan, Chili and Cress have rejoined Team Plasma and now you're here to lead it again."

"Pika pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu said angrily, echoing his trainer's feelings.

"Ash!" Iris hissed, shocked at his accusations.

"Now now, let the boy talk all he wants," Ghetsis said, the loose tone in his voice fading, "Shockingly, you're not completely incorrect."

"Ha!" Ash shot in Iris' direction, happy to take the chance to prove her wrong.

"However!" Ghetsis spoke loudly once again, his reflexive grin spreading across his face. "I'm afraid you've missed a few details." Ash blinked in surprise.

"If you'll recall from the tale you were told last night, the Shadow Triad truly did betray Team Plasma. There's no doubting that." Ghetsis clenched his fist as he spoke. "They would never return. At least, not willingly."

"What's that supposed to mean? Where are our friends?" Iris shouted, stepping forward to where Ash stood.

"Pansage pan!" Pansage yelled, anger evident in its voice. Ghetsis grinned so widely that they expected him to start laughing.

"Closer than you may think..."

Suddenly, three more spot lights flicked on one by one from the ceiling of the room, illuminating three separate spots near the front of the stage. Ash and Iris gasped at what they revealed.

Bathed in the light, three brightly-colored Pokémon contrasted dramatically with the rest of the otherwise black-and-gray room: one blue, one red, one green. They were all monkey-like in shape and stature. Their faces were frozen into furious and hateful expressions, sharp canines bared. Finally, their eyes were completely devoid of color; instead, they were pitch black. A thunder clap tore through the room, its sound travelling through the cracks from the surface and amplified by the cavernous room.

_"...but further than ever before!"_

* * *

...


End file.
